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Commission seeks earlier vegetative screening at fence installation for solar projects
Summary
Planning staff recommended installing vegetative buffers when security fencing is installed, not at project completion, to speed mitigation of dust, noise and visual impacts; commissioners asked for third-party engineering input on planting timing and species to ensure survivability in local soils.
Staff told commissioners they were recommending that vegetative plantings be installed as part of the security-fencing stage so the buffer begins functioning earlier rather than waiting until the end of construction. "We were recommending that all of the plantings should be performed as part of the installation of the fencing," Commissioner (speaker 2) said, explaining that early planting can help dust, noise and visual mitigation and provide an opportunity to check whether chosen species survive local soils.
Commissioners agreed that an engineer or third-party review could help determine optimal planting schedules and species; examples from nearby projects showed mixed results when plantings were installed too early or without long-term maintenance. Staff said they would consider timing alternatives and report back to the commission.
