Agenda - 09-18-2012 - 6b - Laserfiche WebLink

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72 • Future Land Use Map Designation: Agricultural Residential • Growth Management System Designation: Rural Michael Harvey: The portion of the property north of the proposed development is not located in a protected or critical watershed overlay district, meaning that there are no impervious surface requirements. However, the applicant will be required to maintain identified and protected stream buffers and will be required to submit a detailed erosion control and stormwater management plans as currently required by the Unified Development Ordinance and State law. REQUEST: • Erect approximately 960 individual solar array panels on a 53 acre portion of the subject property. • Typical array is 7 feet in height, with approximately 2 feet of ground clearance, and 47 feet in length. • Arrays will be screened by existing vegetation and a 6 foot high chain link security fence, topped with 3 strand barbed wire, shall enclose the perimeter of the array to prevent access. • Gravel paths/drives will be installed around these arrays in order to permit access by Strata Solar technicians to service the panels. In certain areas there will be natural, grass, paths depending on soil. • Vehicular access to the site is restricted by a 24 foot access gate off of White Cross Road. • An overhead, medium voltage, power line will be installed on the north of the identified leased area, adjacent to the existing mobile home park, allowing the proposed facility to tie into the power grid. SITE PLAN: Michael Harvey: This is the copy of the site plan. Very quickly what I would like to do is sort of identify, here are the individual arrays that we talked about (staff identified the arrays on a map). This is an existing identified stream, and you will note from your abstract, Attachment 3, under staff comments, we do have what is known as a Surface Water Identification where Orange County Erosion Control staff have gone out and verified the location of the stream. Strata Solar personnel have gone out and verified the location of the stream on the site plan, and the site plan denotes the required stream buffer as detailed within Article 6 of our zoning, excuse me our Unified Development Ordinance that will have to be left in a natural state. You will also note that the site plan delineates required landscaped areas per the Unified Development Ordinance. They are using what we is defined within Article 6 known as the Overhead Utility Option landscape standard that would allow smaller trees in order to ensure that a taller tree would not cast a shadow on the array, rendering it virtually useless. The site will be buffered, however, so that it will not be visible from White Cross Road, but the trees will be managed so that they don't interfere with the natural operation of the proposed array.