Council to revisit solar-panel placement rules after planning and zoning concerns

Council member Kim Ulner raised concerns about the village's current ordinance on accessory uses (cited in the meeting as 1148.02), saying several exceptions allow solar panels to be installed on street-facing elevations that are visible to neighbors. Ulner said recent applications showed how a combination of exceptions can permit front-facing panels and that the ordinance does not require homeowners to retain trees or landscaping that currently screen panels from view.

"I want to adjust the language of the ordinance, and I want to add some language...that if they have trees...they not get rid of them," Ulner said, noting the village should balance homeowner rights with neighborhood aesthetics. Ulner asked council to consider whether stricter language or additional criteria (for example, requiring rear placement when feasible or limiting exceptions) is needed. Planning and Zoning members, who reviewed the ordinance, said the original draft had stronger placement requirements but those were reduced in later rounds. One speaker noted the ordinance had been written in consultation with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory when it was first adopted.

A member of the resilience committee urged widespread use of solar panels as a community resilience benefit, while planning members emphasized balancing system performance with visual impact. Council directed staff to share the current ordinance language, requested that Planning and Zoning draft redline edits and examples (including addresses of pending applications), and agreed to revisit the matter at a future meeting. This action was a referral for ordinance review rather than a legislative change at this meeting.