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Commission backs 100-foot setbacks, discusses 7-mile scenic protections for big solar
Summary
Commissioners agreed in principle on a 100-foot minimum setback from property lines for solar arrays, discussed screening standards (75% opacity in five years), and debated whether a 7-mile exclusion used for wind should remain for commercial solar to protect scenic resources such as Steptoe Butte and Palouse Falls.
Commissioners signaled general agreement on a 100-foot minimum setback from property lines for solar facilities, while asking staff to provide literature about contamination risks from damaged panels and to include maintenance and fencing requirements in the draft ordinance. Rachel Granrath explained proposed screening standards — an eight-foot fence and vegetative screening achieving roughly 75% opacity within five years — and recommended explicit maintenance obligations tied to the CUP.
The body also debated whether to carry forward a seven-mile visual-exclusion radius (previously used for wind energy) around visual landmarks such as Kamiak Butte, Steptoe Butte and Palouse Falls. Bill Myers and others argued a 7-mile exclusion protects photo-tourism and scenic views, while some commissioners suggested community-scale projects could be exempted from that radius if their footprint and visual impact are small.
