Commission waives survey, adds discovery clause for 144.72 kW ground-mounted solar near Mendocino

The Mendocino County Archaeological Commission on April 10 voted 4-0 to not require an archaeological survey for Coastal Development Permit 2025-0003, a proposal to install a 144.72-kilowatt DC ground-mounted ballasted solar system on a parcel southeast of Mendocino. The commission added its standard discovery clause to the permit.

Mark Klieser, the staff planner for the project, said the proposed solar array will be installed on land long used as a horse corral and that the system is a fully ballasted design with only a few perimeter ground screws. "It's a fully ballasted system, so there's gonna be very minimal ground disturbance," Klieser said.

Applicant representatives said the area has seen past disturbance, including a removed house and existing leach field in the vicinity. Kayla Johnson (working with the applicants) told commissioners the parcel is used for farming and that the array site had prior disturbance. "There is a already a septic seat, a system, and then this where our solar is going, part of the reason we had to do the ballast is it's also noted as a future leach field as well," she said.

Northwest Information Center had recommended a survey because of proximity to recorded sites and similar environmental sensitivity. Commissioners discussed parcel size (approximately four acres), the presence of a historic home removed decades ago, and whether minimal disturbance justified not requiring a full survey. The commissioners resolved that the discovery clause would be used to address any unanticipated finds.

Action: The motion "to not require a survey but add the discovery clause" passed on a roll-call vote recorded as 4-0. No named mover or seconder was recorded in the transcript. Staff will file the discovery-clause condition with the permit record.