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3.a5 Oldfield Solar Garden Hurlburt Public Hearing Comments received 03 02 161 Anne Hurlburt 14160 236th St N. Scandia, MN 55073 SUBMITTED VIA E-MAIL March 2, 2016 Planning Commission City of Scandia 14717 209th St. N. Scandia, MN 55073 RE: Comments for March 2, 2016 Public Hearing CUP Application of Ameresco for Oldfield Avenue Solar Garden Dear Planning Commissioners: I am unable to attend this evening’s Public Hearing due to other commitments. Having been out of town for the last two weeks, I first heard of this proposal yesterday afternoon. I have reviewed a copy of the CUP application and the report prepared by the City Planner on this matter. Encouraging solar energy production is an important goal and I am glad to see that the City of Scandia has embraced it. At the same time, each “solar garden” site must be considered carefully to ensure it is an asset to the community and to the neighborhood in which it is located. I understand that the city has recently approved a similar proposal on the former gravel pit at Hwy 97 and Manning Ave. Unlike that site, this property is located directly adjacent to and will be visible from an established residential neighborhood. It will be accessed by and be very visible from Oldfield, a street that is rural residential in character. The site itself has significant topographic changes, sloping upward from the road, which will make it more visible. There are no existing visual barriers from the residential area to the west. More care will be needed to ensure that it is compatible with the character of the surrounding area. The plans available at this time do not contain suff icient information to determine that the City’s specific ordinance requirements or the general standards for CUPs will be met. Specific concerns include:  No landscaping or screening plans have been submitted.  No plans for site alterations such as grading or drainag e have been provided. The layout does not appear to relate to the topography of the site, but appears to assume a flat landscape. Wetlands have not been delineated. 2  No plans for fencing the site have been provided. The ordinance will require a fence adjacent to a long stretch of Oldfield, so materials , location, height etc. will be crucial to determining possible visual impacts.  No analysis of potential glare to motorists on Oldfield Ave. has been provided even though it has been acknowledged that this may be a concern. Given that visibility and sight lines are already problems for northbound traffic coming down the hill and at the Oldfield/236th Street intersection, the City must ensure that an already hazardous situation will not be exacerbated. Even though the plans appear to be incomplete based on the requirements of Ordinance #162 regarding Solar Gardens, the CUP application was apparently accepted as complete for review and the 60-day review period has begun. However, the City may unilaterally extend that review period by an additional 60 days, or longer by agreement of the applicant. Staff has provided a recommended list of conditions that would begin to address many of the issues by requiring the missing plans be submitted and reviewed at the staff level. However, given that the plans could change significantly and the importance of the missing information, I urge the Planning Commission to continue its hearing so that the applicant may submit this information for review by the Commission and the public. Thank you for considering my comments. Please call me at 651 433-1485 if you have any questions. Sincerely, Anne W. Hurlburt 14160 236th Street N. cc: Neil Soltis, City Administrator Sherri Buss, City Planner Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk