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Greenwood BZA approves rooftop screening variance for Anderson Hauser to preserve solar capacity
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a dimensional variance allowing mechanical rooftop units to remain visible on an Anderson Hauser building so the company can maximize rooftop solar capacity; approval carries a condition that units be painted to blend with the building. Final written findings were directed.
The Greenwood Board of Zoning Appeals voted to approve a dimensional variance for Anderson Hauser’s planned building addition that would allow rooftop mechanical equipment to remain visible from the public right-of-way so the company can maximize rooftop solar panels. The board’s motion passed unanimously, and members directed the corporation counsel’s office to draft written findings of fact; final action is scheduled in two weeks.
Company counsel told the board the request was limited to mechanical-equipment screening requirements in section 10-03-09.2 of the Unified Development Ordinance and would not change the property’s use. The project team said the closest rooftop unit would sit about 660 feet from Bushville Road and that, in the team’s solar-impact modeling, omitting full-height screening would yield additional usable roof area for panels. The project architect said the mechanical units are about 6–7 feet tall and would show roughly 3 feet above the parapet from the street line without screening.
Staff provided a favorable recommendation to the board, with one written condition: the mechanical equipment must be painted in colors that blend with and substantially conform to the building. At the hearing, the project team described painting the rooftop units white to match the roof and maintain visual consistency across the Anderson Hauser campus.
Board members asked whether the treatment matched other recent projects and then approved the variance with the staff-recommended condition. The board’s action preserves the applicant’s ability to maximize solar generation on the roof while requiring a visual mitigation measure the board found acceptable.
The board directed corporation counsel to prepare written findings of fact memorializing the decision. The approval will be final after the board’s procedural waiting period; staff said final action will be taken in two weeks.
