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eC ... KITTITAS COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES <br />411 N. Ruby St., Suite 2, Ellensburg, WA 98926 <br />CDS@CO.KiT,rrrAs.wA.us <br />Office (509) 962-7506 <br />"Building Partnerships — Building Communities" Fax (509) 962-7682 <br />KITTTF%L(fII'NTV <br />Memorandum <br />November 21, 2018 <br />To: Board of County Commissioners <br />From: Dan Carlson, AICP <br />Director, Community Development Services <br />RE: Proposed Solar Overlay Zone 3 <br />Introduction <br />In March of 2018, the Solar Facilities Citizen Advisory Committee recommended three overlay zones to <br />address Solar Power Production Facilities (SPPFs). Zone 1 contained irrigated agricultural lands, Zone <br />2 contained non -irrigated agricultural lands, and all other lands were zone 3. SPPFs would require <br />conditional use permit approval in Zones 1 and 2, with a Rural and Resource Lands analysis required <br />for Zone 1. SPPFs in Zone 3 would require an administrative conditional use permit up to 7 megawatts <br />of energy produced. SPPFs that would generate more energy than that would require a conditional use <br />permit. <br />At the June 25, 2018 Board of County Commissioners public hearing, the Board directed staff to make <br />revisions to the proposed map and ordinance to prohibit SPPFs on all agricultural lands, including <br />irrigated and non -irrigated. In response to this direction, staff combined Zones 1 and 2 into one zone, <br />where all SPPFs are prohibited. All of the remaining lands became Zone 2, where SPPFs require <br />conditional use permit approval. <br />The Board held a public hearing on September 10 to consider the revised map and ordinance. At that <br />hearing, the Board approved the overlay map, but directed staff to begin work on creating a new Zone 3 <br />that would have less stringent permitting requirements, in order to incentivize SPPF development in <br />areas where the County would like to direct this type of development. <br />At the October 31, 2018 CDS Study Session, staff discussed potential criteria and permitting <br />requirements for Zone 3. This memorandum is a follow up to that discussion. <br />Proposed Solar Overlay Map <br />Staff has prepared a draft solar overlay map based on the discussion with the Board at the study <br />session (see attached). All lands within irrigation districts would stay the same — Zone 1, SPPFs <br />prohibited; Zone 2, conditional use permit required. <br />Agricultural lands outside of the irrigation districts would remain Zone 1. All other lands outside of the <br />irrigation districts would now be Solar Overlay Zone 3. <br />Permitting <br />Previous discussions with the Board involved the use of some type of administrative permitting in Zone <br />3. According to Kittitas County Code, administrative permitting choices include "Permitted Use" or <br />"Administrative Conditional Use." A description of those permitting requirement is provided below, <br />along with a description of "Conditional Use" for discussion purposes. <br />COMMUNITY PLANNING - BUILDING INSPECTION - PLAN REvIHW - ADMINISTRATION - PERMIT SERVICES - CODE ENFORCEMENT <br />