Minutes 05-26-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I have been in regular dialogue with Mr Harvey from planning for the last 4-5 years regarding impervious surface restrictions in our community. I very much welcome that the board is now looking into potentially amending the ordinance to allow for storm water harvesting systems as a way to allow credits on impervious surface. I would like to ask your support and approval for this change, as it would be very helpful allowing us to have a bigger parking lot and additional garage space as our kids grow up and get their own cars. I have a 10 acre property with only 1.8% allowed impervious surface causing us lots of headaches. For instance each time we get a delivery truck to come down with a package, chances are high our landscaped lawn gets ripped up because there is not enough space to turn around. When considering these changes in the UDO, please try to find a reasonable way to achieve a balance between the county's need for continued proper functioning of the storm water harvesting systems, and the initial cost and maintenance on the properties owner part. If the burden becomes too high, then no one will implement these systems and storm water run off will continue polluting at its current pace. However with the proper incentives (impervious surface credits), people will install these systems and the runoff will be greatly reduced because most system will collect from the roof of the whole house. While you are reviewing these storm water systems, I would like to flag another item that is related to impervious surface restrictions. I am a pretty keen proponent of green/clean energy and hence have installed several energy saving systems in my home. One of them is a roof mounted solar system. Given my roof is fully maxed out with solar panels, I approached planning department earlier this year to ask if I could extend my system by installing rack mounted solar panels in my yard. Due to impervious restrictions, planning said I would not get permission to install such a system. I would like to ask the commissioners to look into this. How can it be that a solar power system could be denied based on allowed impervious surface? It is not that I want to install a mega system,just to provide for my own use. I currently generate about 25% of my energy usage and duke energy can allow me a system 3 times as big as I have currently. I discussed with planning department the solar and wind access policy of NC state. They looked at it but said that their interpretation of this law remains consistent with the initial verdict that rack mounted solar power panels would count towards my impervious surface usage (even though the solar and wind access policy explicitly states that is supersede any county ordinance prohibiting the installation of solar power), and that given that I am at the maximum allowed, I would not be able to install it. My question would be if you could look into solar power systems and impervious surface restrictions? I believe that some counties adjusted the ordinances to exclude solar power from the impervious surface restrictions. Many thanks for considering. Kind regards, Steven Raets • I am requesting you approve the amendment to give impervious credit to residents who use approved "best management practices" stormwater runoff protection measure at tomorrow's meeting, just like our surrounding counties do.