10/18/2021 Annual Town Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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form of surety approved by the Planning Board to cover the cost of removal in the event the Town must remove the installation and remediate the landscape, in an amount and form determined to be commercially reasonable by the Planning Board, but in no event to exceed more than 125 percent of the cost of removal and compliance with the additional requirements set forth herein, as determined by the project proponent and the Town. Such surety will not be required for municipal or state-owned facilities. The project proponent shall submit a fully inclusive estimate of the costs associated with removal, prepared by a qualified engineer. The amount shall include a mechanism for calculating increased removal costs due to inflation. (e) It shall be a condition of any special permit that all legal documents required to enable the Town to exercise its rights and responsibilities under the plan to decommission the site, enter the property and physically remove the installation shall be provided prior to the issuance of a building permit. F. Required Performance Standards: Small, Medium and Large Scale Solar Energy Systems 1. Visual Impact Mitigation: The site plan for a ground -mounted solar energy system shall be designated to screen the array to the maximum extent practicable year round from adjacent properties in residential use and from all roadways. 2. All required setbacks shall be left in their undisturbed natural vegetated condition for the duration of the solar energy system's installation. In situations where the naturally vegetated condition within required setback is not wooded and does not provide adequate screening of the solar array, the Planning Board may require additional intervention including, but not limited to: (a) A landscaping plan showing sufficient trees and understory vegetation, of a type common in natural areas of Mashpee, to replicate a naturally wooded area and to constitute a visual barrier between the proposed array and neighboring properties and roadways. (b) Berms along property lines and roadways with suitable plantings to provide adequate screening to neighboring properties and roadways. 3. Lighting: Lighting of ground -mounted solar energy systems shall be limited to that required for safety and operational purposes, and shall be reasonably shielded from abutting properties. Lighting shall be directed downward and shall incorporate full cut-off fixtures to reduce light pollution. 4. Signage: Signs on ground -mounted solar energy systems shall comply with all applicable regulations of this by-law and/or any Town sign by-law. A sign shall be required to identify the owner, operator and interconnected utility and provide a 24-hour emergency contact phone number. Ground -mounted solar energy systems shall not be used for displaying any advertising signage. 5. Utility Connections: Within setback distances and except where soil conditions, location, property shape, and topography of the site or requirements of the utility provider prevent it, all utility connections from grid-intertie solar energy systems shall be placed underground. Electrical transformers for utility interconnections may be above ground if required by the utility provider. 6. Vegetation Management: All land associated with the ground -mounted solar energy system shall be covered and grown in natural vegetation. The height of vegetation must be managed by regular mowing or grazing so as to minimize the amount and height of combustible material available in case of fire. Herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers shall not be used to manage vegetation. To the greatest extent practicable, a diversity of plant species shall be used, with preference give to species that are native to New England. Use of plants identified by the most recent copy of the "Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List" maintained by the Massachusetts department of Agricultural Resources is prohibited. Management of all vegetated areas shall be maintained throughout the duration of the solar energy system's installation through mechanical means without the use of chemical herbicides.