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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSolar VCH draft 10-02-15.pdfEXHIBIT 2016-066 DRAFT LOCAL LAW ON SOLAR ARRAYS A. Statement of Purpose. The Village wishes to facilitate the use of solar energy collectors to encourage renewable energy, but also recognizes that regulation of the construction, placement, and operation of solar collectors are matters of public importance involving issues of safety, neighborhood character, and possible depreciated property values by reason of improperly installed, placed, maintained, or operated collectors. B. Generally applicable standards. All solar energy collectors shall be subject to the following requirements: 1. Solar energy collectors shall be permitted only to provide power for use by owners, lessees, tenants, residents, or other occupants of the premises on which they are erected, but nothing contained in this provision shall be construed to prohibit the sale of excess power through “net metering” or “net billing” or a similar program in accordance with New York Public Service Law 66 -J or similar state or federal statute; 2. Solar collectors shall be designed, located, and tilted to prevent reflective glare toward inhabited buildings on adjacent properties and toward vehicles on adjacent roads, and shall not be unnecessarily, bright, shiny, garish, or reflective; 3. Solar energy collectors shall be located in areas and ways which most mitigate their visibility from surrounding properties; 4. Solar energy collectors shall be considered structures for the purpose of compliance with Village laws and ordinances, shall require a building permit and certificate of occupancy issued by the Village’s Code Enforcement Officer, and shall comply in their design, construction, and operation with all other Village laws and ordinances, unless specifically excluded by this section. C. Rooftop mounted solar collectors are permitted in all zoning districts in the Village. Building permits shall be required for installation of rooftop mounted solar collectors, subject to the following requirements: 1. The area covered by collectors shall not exceed eighty (80) percent of the entire roof area; 2. There shall be a five (5) foot minimum set back from all roof edges; 3. On a pitched roof, collectors shall be mounted no more than twelve (12) inches above the roofing surface to which they are affixed, and shall not extend beyond the highest point of the roof; 4. On a flat roof, collectors shall be installed in a manner and to a height that minimizes their visibility from surrounding properties and roads, but still maintains their functional integrity and viability; 5. Where possible, shall be color-coordinated to harmonize with roof materials and other predominant colors of the structure. D. Ground-mounted solar collectors are permitted as an accessory use in all zoning districts of the Village, subject to the following requirements: 1. Collectors shall be located in side or rear yards; 2. Collector locations meet all applicable setback requirements of the zone in which they are located; 3. The height of any collector and any mount shall not exceed 15 feet from ground elevation at any point when oriented at maximum tilt; 4. The total surface area of all such collectors on any one lot shall not exceed 500 square feet; 5. The area beneath any collector shall be included in the calculation of lot area coverage; 6. The area beneath any collector shall be considered impervious surface and subject to the Village’s Local Law for Stormwater Management; 7. Any collector may not be sited within a riparian streamside buffer or any buffer required for some other conservation purpose; 8. A building permit is required prior to any collector and mount installation; 9. Such installations should employ where practicable vegetative landscape screening and, if necessary, other screening methods which harmonize with the character of the property and surrounding neighborhood to minimize collector and mount visibility from adjacent properties and roads; 10. Installations should minimize view blockage from and shadow impacts on neighboring properties; 11. Installations must be performed by a qualified solar installer; 12. Prior to operation, all electrical connections must be inspected by the Village’s Code Enforcement Officer and by an appropriate electrical inspection person or agency as determined by the Village; 13. If applicable, any connection to the public utility grid must be inspected by the appropriate public utility; 14. When solar storage batteries are included as part of the solar collector system, they must be placed in a secure container or enclosure meeting the requirements of the New York State Building Code when in use and, when no longer used, shall be disposed of in accordance with the laws and regulations of Tompkins County and other applicable laws and regulations; 15. If a collector ceases to perform its originally intended function for more than twelve (12) consecutive months, the property owner shall remove the collector, mount, and associated equipment and facilities by no later than ninety (90) days after the end of the twelve (12) month period; 16. For a project that requires site plan approval, and which also includes the installation of ground-mounted solar collectors, the site plan review shall include review of the adequacy, location, arrangement, size, design, and general site compatibility of any proposed collector.