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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, October 15, 2018 <br /> Page 18 <br /> rezoning a parcel to turn into single family homes and there are still some fairly <br /> large tracts of available property. He thought this was something the Council <br /> could look at, but the urgency is not there to look at it immediately. He would <br /> like to hear from Public Works regarding what that Department sees for the water <br /> infiltration aspect and having adequate area for which that needs to occur. He <br /> would like to get additional information. <br /> Mayor Roe thought the Council could review this within the next year. <br /> e. Discuss the Requirements of§1011.10 Solar Energy Systems Outlined in City <br /> Code <br /> City Planner Thomas Paschke briefly highlighted this item as detailed in the RCA <br /> and related attachments dated October 15, 2018. <br /> Councilmember McGehee thought the problem with the City standards is the City <br /> was thinking of these as primarily roof mounted and now the City is dealing with <br /> a ground mount that is next to a residential neighborhood. If truck bodies were <br /> being parked there or a commercial facility, there would be different screening <br /> requirements, fencing, etc. that the City does not have in this standard. She stated <br /> the screening standards for ground mounted solar energy system were not consid- <br /> ered. She thought the City should do something with the matter of aesthetics when <br /> located next to a residential area. <br /> Councilmember Willmus stated he walked around the ground mount system and <br /> one thing that struck him was it is not overly high in height but has a chain link <br /> fence that secures it. Going forward, next summer, the grass under the panels will <br /> become weeds and not maintained. He thought with ground mount systems, the <br /> City should look at opaque screening but not at a height that impedes the use of <br /> the solar panels. He supported some form of aesthetic screening from the adjoin- <br /> ing properties. <br /> Mayor Roe thought maybe the Council needed to talk about standards for planting <br /> because the City has a standard for ground cover on their properties and he did <br /> not want it to be just dead grass underneath the panels. The city may want to look <br /> at industry standards for what is planted, what is underneath the ground mounted <br /> panels. He felt this was something the City might want to enhance in the Code. <br /> Mayor Roe stated he would be willing to look at screening,but he did not see a lot <br /> of issues with what was there based on the standards. He would be open to look- <br /> ing at other possibilities. <br /> Councilmember McGehee thought there should be some kind of screening on the <br /> solar system side facing other properties. Where there are large ground mount <br /> systems that are difficult to manage underneath, goats or sheep are rented to take <br />