01/18/2023 PLANNING BOARD Minutes (2)

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16 Great Neck RoadNorth wlashyee, _Massachusetts o2649 Mr. Lehrer posed the question, how would the Board feel about the character of the town if they drove the rotary and there was a 100 acres of solar panels. If you're going to do a zoning change, do it with the intent to not incentivize bad development. Ms. Waygan stated in the meantime they will move on and continue this discussion at the next meeting about what parcels or districts will be added. Bullet C says ground mounted energy systems have to be consistent with applicable local, state, and federal regulations. Bullet D says the owner maintains the facility in good condition. Bullet E discusses dimensional criteria. Small systems one and two were already passed. It goes into dimensional for medium and large scale systems. Bullet F discusses the special permit rules and application requirements. She asked Mr. Lehrer if there was a height maximum on the panels. Ms. Faulkner stated the maximum ground mount height is 15ft. above the grade. She elaborated that bullet F states what needs to be done to submit the special permit. Lastly, bullet G delves into required performance standards such as visual impacts, signage, setbacks, vegetation management, noise generation, fencing, land clearing, erosion, and emergency services. Ms. Faulkner wants to make sure there is proper vegetation. Her main concern is screening, which is decided by the Planning Board. She really likes staggered evergreens. She also noted the average life of a solar array is 20 years. Ms. Waygan stated the distance to a wetland is 100ft and 200ft to a waterbody such as a pond or river, which matches the MA River Act and Wetlands Act. Three members agreed to add this. Mr. Hansen stated the fences around solar shall provide a minimum of six inches between the ground and bottom of the fence. There was no mention of a maximum. Mr. Lehrer commented there are security considerations that will need to be taken into account. There shall be a six inch clearance that shall not exceed six inches. Ms. Waygan went on to the next section, to amend land space requirements. Mr. Lehrer clarified that at the time this was written, the purpose was for someone who doesn't have good solar access based on their roofs orientation to the sun. They would need to put a fixed tilt mount which could raise the elevation and allow an exception to create a non -conformity for that purpose. He does not want to suggest a face tilt mount on the roof.