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Home My WebLink AboutItem VIItem V – CUP/Small Solar Energy System – 815 W South Park Ave PLAN COMMISSION STAFF REPORT JULY 6, 2021 ITEM VI: PUBLIC HEARING: CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT REQUEST TO ALLOW A ROOF-MOUNTED SMALL SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM AT 815 W SOUTH PARK AVENUE GENERAL INFORMATION Applicant: Joseph O’Keefe – Revolution Energy Systems Owners: Michael Bott Action(s) Requested: The applicant is requesting a Conditional Use Permit to allow placement of a roof-mounted small solar energy system on an existing single-family house located at 815 W South Park Ave. Applicable Ordinance Provisions: Small solar energy systems are classified as an accessory use permitted only through a Conditional Use Permit in any zone district as regulated in Section 30-86(W) of the Zoning Ordinance. Criteria used for Conditional Use Permits are located in Section 30-382 of the Zoning Ordinance. Property Location and Background Information: The 10,690 square foot (.245 acres) subject site (aerial below) is a corner lot located along the south side of W South Park Ave. and the east side of Fairlawn St. The site consists of a 1,224 square foot, single-story single-family house with an attached garage constructed in 1955. The surrounding properties are predominantly single family uses, along with Plymouth Congressional Church to the north (across W South Park Ave.). Page 1 Item II – CUP/Small Solar Energy System – 815 W South Park Ave 2 Subject Site: Existing Land Use Zoning Single-Family Residential Single-Family Residential-5 (SR-5) Recognized Neighborhood Organizations N/A Adjacent Land Use and Zoning: Existing Uses Zoning North Church Institutional South Single-Family Residential Single-Family Residential-5 (SR-5) West Single-Family Residential Single-Family Residential-5 (SR-5) East Single-Family Residential Single-Family Residential-5 (SR-5) Comprehensive Plan Land Use Recommendation Land Use 2040 Comprehensive Land Use Plan Recommendation Light Density Residential ANALYSIS The applicant is proposing to install a grid-tied solar array on the south-facing roof of the existing home. The system will include 20 black solar panels and be mounted to the roof using a Unirac SolarMount racking system. The submitted plan below shows the placement of the proposed solar panels. Aerial picture of roof showing where Solar Panels will be installed Page 2 Item II – CUP/Small Solar Energy System – 815 W South Park Ave 3 Wisconsin statutes limit a municipality’s ability to restrict placement of private renewable energy systems and the City must apply the state statutes to evaluate these types of requests. The City may not restrict placement or use of said structures unless the restriction satisfies one of the following conditions:  Serves to preserve or protect the public health or safety  Does not significantly increase the cost of the system or significantly decrease its efficiency.  Allows for an alternative system of comparable cost and efficiency. Staff is of the opinion that this request does not satisfy any of the above criteria. The proposed placement is in the most logical location available. The array will be minimally visible from the street and southern exposure is most desirable to take advantage of the sun’s rays. The petitioner’s application states that the solar array will not negatively impact the health, safety, and general welfare of the occupants of the neighboring properties. Staff is in support of the proposed small solar energy system as the accessory use should not be detrimental to the surrounding area. Private energy producing systems are becoming increasingly common nationwide as there is growing public movement to become more sustainable and less reliant on commercial service providers. The Inspection Services Division has reviewed this request and noted that structural calculations will need to be provided for the panels on the roof to verify the roof can accept the weight of the panels. This is required prior to building permit issuance. Staff reached out to the applicant multiple times to inform them of the pending zoning code amendments regarding small solar energy systems, providing options on whether to move forward with this CUP or being refunded the CUP fees and waiting for the amendments to Page 3 Item II – CUP/Small Solar Energy System – 815 W South Park Ave 4 occur (zoning code amendments would permit solar panels by right). The applicant did not respond. Staff reached out to the property owner and explained the same options. The property owner understood the pending ordinance amendments but decided to proceed with the CUP process regardless because of the project timeline and the fees that he did not feel could be recouped due to a contractual agreement. RECOMMENDATION/CONDITIONS In its review and recommendation to the Common Council on an application for a Conditional Use Permit, staff recommends the Plan Commission make the following findings based on the criteria established by Chapter 30-382 (F)(3): (1) Is in harmony with the Comprehensive Plan. (2) Would not result in a substantial or undue adverse impact on nearby property, the character of the neighborhood, environmental factors, traffic factors, parking, public improvements, public property or rights-of-way, or other matters affecting the public health, safety, or general welfare. (3) Maintains the desired consistency of land uses, land use intensities, and land use impacts as related to the environs of the subject property. (4) The conditional use is located in an area that will be adequately served by, and will not impose an undue burden on, any of the improvements, facilities, utilities or services provided by public or private agencies serving the subject property. (5) The potential public benefits outweigh any potential adverse impacts of the proposed conditional use, after taking into consideration the applicant’s proposal and any requirements recommended by the applicant to ameliorate such impacts. Staff recommends approval of the proposed Conditional Use Permit for installation of a small solar energy system accessory use at 815 W South Park Avenue as proposed with the findings listed above. Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Revolution Energy Systems, Inc May 27th, 2021 Supervising Electrician – Joseph O’Keefe 9981 W 190th Street, Unit K Mokena, IL 60448 Brian Slusarek Planner, Planning Services Division City of Oshkosk 920.236.5035 BSlusarek@ci.oshkosh.wi.us RE: Project Narrative – 815 W South Park Ave Oshkosh, WI 54902 Brian, Please see the project narrative as requested. Revolution Energy Systems, Inc intends to install a rooftop mounted solar array at 815 W South Park Ave Oshkosh, WI 54902. The array is to consist of (20) Longi LR4‐60HPB‐350M solar panels. The panels are 350 watts each and will all be installed on the south facing roof of the home. The modules will be installed using Unirac SolarMount racking hardware. The mounting hardware will be staggered on the rafters and installed using 5/16” Stainless Steel lag bolts with a minimum embedment of 2.5”. The electrical system is manufactured by SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. We will be installing a SolarEdge SE6000H‐US (240V) Inverter with (20) P370 Power Optimizers, one for each panel on the array. The interconnection method consists of an Eaton Disconnect located within 10’ of the WPS meter and will be fused by a 35A 2‐pole back feed breaker in the service panel located in the home. This array will have a DC output of 7,000 watts and an AC output to the grid of 6,000 watts. Sincerely, Joseph O’Keefe Illinois Commerce Commission Distributed Generation Installer Certification Docket Number – 19‐0705 City of Chicago Supervising Electrician – ECC95532 Village of Orland Park Supervising Electrician – ER‐20‐25876 N.A.B.C.E.P. Certified – PV Installation Professional ‐ #110112‐102 (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) Page 7 Page 8 CUP 815 W SOUTH PARK AVE PC: 7-6-21 DONALD J/VERNA A SCHUMACHER 1507 FAIRLAWN ST OSHKOSH, WI 54902 HARLAND W/DONNA J KRUEGER 122 W 19TH AVE OSHKOSH, WI 54902 DAVID BEARWALD 1520 FAIRLAWN ST OSHKOSH, WI 54902 MICHEL G POLISHINSKI 1510 FAIRLAWN ST OSHKOSH, WI 54902 MARK S ZUGE 807 W SOUTH PARK AVE OSHKOSH, WI 54902 CURTIS K BENZINGER 803 W SOUTH PARK AVE OSHKOSH, WI 54902 ELBERT W WILES 1517 GEORGIA ST OSHKOSH, WI 54902 PLYMOUTH CONG CHURCH 1325 GEORGIA ST OSHKOSH, WI 54902 MARY JO RIESE GONZALES/MICHAEL GONZALES 832 W SOUTH PARK AVE OSHKOSH, WI 54902 JOSEPH O'KEEFE 9981 190TH STREET UNIT K MOKENA, IL 60448 MICHAEL J BOTT 815 W SOUTH PARK AVE OSHKOSH, WI 54902 Page 9 South Park W S O U T H P A R K A V W S O U T H P A R K A V GEORGIA STGEORGIA STFAIRLAWN STFAIRLAWN STSANDERS STSANDERS STC:\Users\Public\Desktop\2020 Plan Commission Site Plan Map Template.mxd User: hannahs Prepared by: City of Oshkosh, WI Printing Date: 6/2/2021 1 in = 120 ft1 in = 0.02 mi¯815 W SOUTH PARK815 W SOUTH PARK City of Oshkosh maps and data are intended to be used for general identification purposes only, andthe City of Oshkosh assumes no liability for the accuracy of the information. Those using theinformation are responsible for verifying accuracy. For full disclaimer please go towww.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/GISdisclaimer Page 10 I I SR-9 SR-9 SR-5 I HI TR-10 SR-9 UMU I SR-5 MR-12 UMU MR-20 NMU NMUMR-20 UMU I UMU MR-12-PD South Park Quarry Park South Park Quarry Park OHIO STOHIO STKNAPP STKNAPP STW 9TH AVW 9TH AV W S O U T H P A R K A V W S O U T H P A R K A V OHIO STOHIO STKNAPP STKNAPP STW 9TH AVW 9TH AV W S O U T H P A R K A V W S O U T H P A R K A V W 10TH AVW 10TH AV W 18TH AVW 18TH AV GEORGIA STGEORGIA STW 17TH AVW 17TH AV W 11TH AVW 11TH AV F L O R ID A A VFLORIDA A V OSBORN AVOSBORN AV DELAWARE STDELAWARE STRUGBY STRUGBY STW 12TH AVW 12TH AV ERIE AVERIE AV PLUMMER STPLUMMER STFAIRLAWN STFAIRLAWN STSANDERS STSANDERS STW 16TH AVW 16TH AV W 15TH AVW 15TH AV CONCORDIA AVCONCORDIA AV BBEERRGGEERRSSTTWEISBROD STWEISBROD STRUGBY STRUGBY STW 12TH AVW 12TH AV SANDERS STSANDERS STW 10TH AVW 10TH AV W 18TH AVW 18TH AVGEORGIA STGEORGIA STW 17TH AVW 17TH AV W 11TH AVW 11TH AV FLORIDA AVFLORIDA AV OSBORN AVOSBORN AV DELAWARE STDELAWARE STRUGBY STRUGBY STW 12TH AVW 12TH AV TR-10-PD C:\Users\Public\Desktop\2020 Plan Commission Site Plan Map Template.mxd User: hannahs Prepared by: City of Oshkosh, WI Printing Date: 6/2/2021 1 in = 500 ft1 in = 0.09 mi¯815 W SOUTH PARK815 W SOUTH PARK City of Oshkosh maps and data are intended to be used for general identification purposes only, andthe City of Oshkosh assumes no liability for the accuracy of the information. Those using theinformation are responsible for verifying accuracy. For full disclaimer please go towww.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/GISdisclaimer Page 11 South Park W S O U T H P A R K A V W S O U T H P A R K A V GEORGIA STGEORGIA STFAIRLAWN STFAIRLAWN STSANDERS STSANDERS STC:\Users\Public\Desktop\2020 Plan Commission Site Plan Map Template.mxd User: hannahs Prepared by: City of Oshkosh, WI Printing Date: 6/2/2021 1 in = 100 ft1 in = 0.02 mi¯815 W SOUTH PARK815 W SOUTH PARK City of Oshkosh maps and data are intended to be used for general identification purposes only, andthe City of Oshkosh assumes no liability for the accuracy of the information. Those using theinformation are responsible for verifying accuracy. For full disclaimer please go towww.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/GISdisclaimer Page 12