solar energy

The city's code of ordinances provides standards for various types of solar arrays and offers historic preservation requirements that guide solar panel placement on historic buildings. While addressing solar and land development, it notes that the administrative adjustment process can be used to reduce setback requirements for ground-level solar PV arrays (Chap. 2, Art. II, Sec. 4.A.1.b.2.e).

The code of ordinances provide standards for at-grade, rooftop, and wall-mounted solar PV arrays that address height, location, setbacks, and appearance (Chap. 3, Art. V, Sec. 3.W). It also addresses solar in its landscape design principles, noting that landscape elements should be located to support energy conservation and consider solar orientation (Chap. 4, Art. II, Sec. 3.H).

The code of ordinances' historic preservation requirements encourage sustainable, energy efficient, and green building practices, and encourages the placement of solar panels in screened side or rear yards rather than on the building. If building placement is unavoidable, solar panels should be placed on a non-character-defining elevation or roof slope not visible from the street (Chap. 4, Art. IX, Sec. 6.A.7).