Chapter
218, entitled "Solar Energy Systems," is hereby created and adopted.
Solar energy systems shall be permitted as a rooftop installation
in all zones. The solar energy system shall not exceed a height of
12 inches from the rooftop, except on flat roofs where one end of
the solar collection device used in the solar energy system may be
separated from the roofline by up to five feet. In no event shall
the placement of a solar energy system on a rooftop result in a total
height, including building and solar energy system, than what is permitted
for the principal building in the zoning district where it is located.
Solar energy systems that include an elevated panel or plate, or a
canopy or array thereof, and are installed over the ground, shall
be a permitted use in all commercial and limited business zones and
a permitted accessory use in all zone districts which allow single-family
detached residential dwellings. Freestanding or ground-mounted solar
energy systems shall be considered a structure and shall be subject
to the regulations of the zone for such, together with all other applicable
building codes and ordinances. A solar energy system that is installed
over the ground shall be subject to the following requirements:
A. Lot size. Solar energy systems that are installed over the ground
are permitted on tax parcels, or tracts of land that are under common
ownership, that have a total area of at least 20 acres in the commercial
and the limited business zones and of at least 20,000 square feet
for single-family detached residences as accessory uses.
B. Setbacks. Solar energy systems that are installed over the ground
shall be set back in accordance with the prevailing zone district
standard for accessory buildings. The setback for commercial zones
shall be the prevailing zone district standard for accessory buildings
or 25 feet, whichever is greater.
C. Placement. Solar energy systems that are installed over the ground
shall not be located within a front yard area.
D. Height. Solar energy systems that are installed over the ground shall
not exceed a height of 15 feet in the commercial and the limited business
zones and six feet for accessory structures on single-family detached
residential lots.
E. Cover. Solar panels shall not be considered to be part of a site's
impervious cover or surface. Solar panels shall be excluded from all
impervious cover or surface calculations.
F. Appearance. The design of solar energy systems that are installed
over the ground shall, to the extent reasonably possible, use materials,
colors, textures, screening and landscaping that will blend the facility
into the natural setting and existing environment.