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Developer says planned solar project needs taller transmission towers; council agrees to pursue text amendment and joint public hearing
Summary
An applicant for a solar-and-storage project told the Fairfield council that the transmission towers modeled in the conditional-use permit exceed the town's 35-foot height limit; the council asked the applicant to submit a text amendment application for the planning commission and tentatively agreed to consider a combined public hearing in February.
An applicant representing a proposed solar-and-storage project told the Fairfield Town Council on Dec. 18 that the project's transmission line requires towers taller than the 35-foot limit in the town's industrial code.
Adrian (applicant) told the council the conditional-use permit (CUP) models include transmission towers that are taller than the maximum 35-foot height permitted in the Light Industrial East zone and are required for the transmission voltage the project anticipates. She said the towers were modeled in the CUP and that the project team is seeking a text amendment to allow increased height for those transmission towers while leaving other height limits unchanged.
Council members and staff discussed the process and next steps. Town attorney Todd explained that the council could consider a text amendment and that the process would include a Planning Commission recommendation followed by a legislative decision by the council. Todd said the applicant could submit a text amendment application soon; if the notice is filed in time the planning commission could consider the items at the January meeting, otherwise February was proposed.
Several council members asked for additional detail on the proposed transmission route and for coordination with Rocky Mountain Power. The applicant agreed to follow up with county-level CUP documents and to provide more detailed routing maps. Council members expressed a preference to consider the conditional use permit and the text amendment together at a public hearing so the community can weigh the proposal and the code change in the same process.
What happens next: The applicant will submit a text amendment application and supporting routing maps; planning staff will schedule the Planning Commission work session and a public hearing date, likely in January or February depending on noticing requirements. The council emphasized that it could change course after reviewing planning commission recommendations and public testimony.
