T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Assistant Housing and Community Development Director Clayton Ender addresses the Marshalltown city council about a proposed change in the ordinance regulating ground mounted solar arrays during Monday night’s meeting. The council approved the change increasing the maximum height of panels from six to 10 feet and subsequently waived second and third readings.

After a brief public hearing with no comments, the Marshalltown city council approved an ordinance change increasing the allowable height for ground-mounted solar panels, which are now permitted on parcels of land zoned industrial, agricultural and public institutions.

Assistant Housing and Community Development Director Clayton Ender, addressing the council for the first time since he was hired, explained that the current ordinance specifies a maximum height of six feet for each panel, but the amendment would increase that number to 10 feet. Last month, representatives from McFarland Clinic told the council the restriction would reduce the return on investment to a point that their solar project is no longer viable.

Additionally, Ender said, the new ordinance would have a special provision for arrays that are located above a body of water or an area subject to inundation such as a stormwater retention basin, and the Planning and Zoning Commission has unanimously recommended approving the new language. Councilor Mike Ladehoff then asked Ender if he felt the amendment was a “common sense” change.

“It really does seem common sense. The industry standard, especially when we get to commercial arrays or commercial customers, six foot maximum height just doesn’t provide much opportunity. (It’s) very limited, very difficult for them to find products that fit that need,” Ender said. “The industry standard really seems to be about a 10-foot height for that commercial application.”

P&Z Chairman Jon Boston then stepped forward and provided some background on the original recommendation to limit the height to six feet last year, citing a pair of controversial panels in residential areas that drew the ire of neighbors and prompted the initial move to ban such arrays in residential and commercially zoned areas.

“I’ve also talked to a couple of installers, and the installer from McFarland was at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. None of us, I don’t think, envisioned over half a city block covered with solar panels and over 2,000 solar panels installed with a six foot height,” Boston said. “From the input of the installers, you’d significantly increase the amount of square foot coverage and the return on investment would be moved out quite a ways to the point where they felt like it would almost be prohibitive to do it. We’re talking about large sites like the hospital, the college, McFarland, so that’s a little bit of a background on why we changed it.”

Additionally, Boston’s initial research showed that most commercial panels were six to 6 ½ feet long, but that was “old information” and most are now seven to nine feet. From there, a motion to approve the change passed by a unanimous 7-0 vote.

Mayor Joel Greer then asked for a motion to waive subsequent readings so the amendment could take effect. Citing the fact that the issue was non-controversial and “time was of the essence,” Ladehoff made such a motion, and it passed by a 6-1 tally with Mark Mitchell opposed.

Greer then thanked McFarland Executive Director Deb Wollam for attending the meeting and offered his endorsement of solar energy.

“Most people who live here will be benefiting from the $200,000 (annual energy cost) savings, and I understand other commercial entities are looking at the same sort of thing. And I hope it catches on because that is the wave of the future,” he said. “Tama County may look at it differently, but I think that’s what’s coming here.”

——

Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.