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Montecito commission backs countywide tiered solar ordinance, certifies program EIR and flags battery safety questions
Summary
The commission unanimously recommended the Board of Supervisors adopt countywide ordinance changes and certified a program‑level EIR that establishes a four‑tier permitting system for solar and co‑located battery storage. Commissioners and members of the public pressed staff on battery safety, fire risk and flood/mudslide exposure; staff said project‑level review and building/fire permits remain the primary safety checks.
The Montecito Planning Commission on Feb. 18 voted unanimously to recommend that the County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors adopt countywide ordinance amendments to create a tiered permitting system for solar projects and to certify the program environmental impact report (EIR) that accompanies the proposal.
Staff described the framework as four tiers: tier 1 (smaller, generally on‑site systems) through tier 4 (utility‑scale facilities). The amendments clarify definitions, add development and mitigation standards (including setbacks, visual screening, agricultural and biological protections, and decommissioning and restoration standards), and create a permitting path so that larger projects (tiers 3 and 4) would require conditional use permits…
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