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Home My WebLink AboutKYLE AVENUE SOLAR ARRAY - PDP / FDP - FDP180026 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PROJECT NARRATIVEBoulder Office Denver Office California Office New York Office Contact Us 6707 Winchester Cir., Ste 700 888 Federal Boulevard 1500 Palma Dr, 2nd Floor 122 Main Street 303-447-0300 Boulder, CO 80301 Denver, CO 80204 Ventura, CA 93003 New Paltz, NY 12561 Namastesolar.com PROJECT NARRATIVE PROJECT TITLE: NSE Kyle Avenue Solar PAST MEETING DATES Conceptual Design Review: July 19, 2018 Neighborhood Meeting: August 30, 2018 GENERAL INFORMATION Namasté Solar is seeking to develop a medium-scale solar PV project that will be part of the City of Fort Collins Utility’s Solar Power Purchase Program (SP3). The details of the proposed site for the project are as follows: • Address: 6422 Kyle Ave, Fort Collins, CO 870525 • Parcel Number: 9612300027 • Land Use District: Urban Estate (U-E) • Permitted solar development: Small-scale and medium-scale solar energy systems PROPERTY DESCRIPTION 6422 Kyle Ave is an ~8.75-acre parcel in south Fort Collins that is bordered by lands with the following uses/Land Use Districts: • City of Fort Collins Substation – Employment District Land Use Code • Poudre School District Transportation Depot - Employment District Land Use Code • Four residential properties – Urban Estate District Land Use Code • Prairie Dog Meadow Natural Area – Public Open Lands Land Use Code The majority of the parcel is open field and Namaste Solar has a binding lease with the landowner to develop a medium-scale solar project on up to six acres. The solar site is undeveloped and does not have any buildings, landscaping, parking/drive areas or existing natural features such as water bodies, wetlands, canals or irrigation ditches. Additionally, the site is not located within FEMA’s or the City’s identified floodplain risk areas SOLAR PROJECT DESCRIPTION The medium scale solar system will be situated on the northern section of the parcel that is open, undeveloped land. Namaste Solar is proposing to develop 6 acres, which will include the solar facility, detention pond, landscaping elements, and Natural Habitat Buffer Zone. The array footprint will be approximately 4.03 acres. The solar modules would be mounted in a single axis tracking system to maximize production of renewable electricity, with the maximum height of the modules being less than 10’ from the ground. The solar facility would match the existing contours of the land and thus, not change the existing drainage characteristics of the site. Electricity generated by the solar facility will be delivered directly to the FCU grid. The development of this project will not include the construction of new buildings, city streets, or off-street parking. Medium-scale solar development is an approved use for the Urban Estate LUD and thus, Namaste Solar is not requesting a zoning change for this project. Boulder Office Denver Office California Office New York Office Contact Us 6707 Winchester Cir., Ste 700 888 Federal Boulevard 1500 Palma Dr, 2nd Floor 122 Main Street 303-447-0300 Boulder, CO 80301 Denver, CO 80204 Ventura, CA 93003 New Paltz, NY 12561 Namastesolar.com PLANNING OBJECTIVES This project helps the City meet its planning objectives in several key areas: • Climate Action Plan – In March 2015, Council adopted updated goals to reduce emissions to 20% below 2005 levels by 2020; additionally, established the goals of reducing emissions to 80% below 2005 levels by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050. Also, in 2015, Council adopted the 2015 Energy Policy, which includes a goal of achieving a 20% renewable electricity supply by 2020, with 2% from local installed distributed generation. Pursuant to City Council Resolution 2014-028, the Climate Action Plan (CAP) the transitioning of Fort Collins’ energy supply to clean, renewable resources as a central part of the Climate Action Plan framework. • Solar Power Purchase Program - In November 2016, City Council approved funding for the Solar Power Purchase Program (SP3). The purpose of the SP3 program is to incentivize the installation of new, local solar systems to help meet the Fort Collins Utility’s renewable energy goals. • City Plan – The plan specifically calls for the diversification of energy sources that serve the City. • 100% Renewable Resolution - On Tuesday, October 2, 2018, the Fort Collins City Council voted 6-1 to approve a resolution committing the community to shift away from fossil fuels and transition to 100 percent clean, renewable electricity by 2030. When complete, the Kyle Ave Solar project provide the following environmental benefits that further the goals of the City plans outlined above: • ~1,900,000 kWh of clean renewable electricity per year o Enough to power ~200 average homes • CO2 reduction of ~3,885,000 lbs per year • Equivalent of planting 150,000 trees DEVELOPMENT NARRATIVE To develop this renewable energy project plan Namaste Solar has engaged numerous City departments and completed an Environmental Characterization Study (ECS) to determine the most appropriate design considerations for the project and site. Since the site is adjacent to the Prairie Dog Meadow Natural Area, there was specific focus on limiting impacts to the natural area, enhancing pollinator/animal habitat, deploying landscaping that matches the prairie character of the area, and protecting the existing wetlands to the north of project. After consulting with Natural Areas, Forestry, Stormwater Engineering, Planning Services, and Environmental Planning, Namaste Solar has developed a development plan with the following characteristics: • A 35’ minimum Natural Habitat Buffer Zone around the entire array. o On the north side the of array the buffer zone is ~60’ • Landscaping along Kyle Avenue that features native shrubs and pollinator friendly plant species • Landscaping along the northern boundary of the project with native shrubs that enhances habitat adjacent to Prairie Dog Meadows and provides a visual buffer for nearby residences. • The use of a pollinator friendly seed mix for areas disturbed by the construction of the solar facility • A “dark sky” development – this project will not have any lighting Landscaping Plan Notes Prior to developing the landscaping plan for the project, Namaste toured the site with Natural Areas, Environmental Planning and Forestry, and discussed the scope and type of landscaping that would be appropriate. In addition, Forestry completed an existing tree inventory and subsequent mitigation plan. The inventory Boulder Office Denver Office California Office New York Office Contact Us 6707 Winchester Cir., Ste 700 888 Federal Boulevard 1500 Palma Dr, 2nd Floor 122 Main Street 303-447-0300 Boulder, CO 80301 Denver, CO 80204 Ventura, CA 93003 New Paltz, NY 12561 Namastesolar.com identified three trees that would be impacted by the project (see landscaping plan), only one of which required mitigation, which is to either plant one new tree or 12 native shrubs. Particular attention was focused on the surrounding Prairie Dog Meadows, a Natural Area that is dominated by open grassland with clusters of native shrubs and a large wetland array. Based on the level of development proposed and complexion of the surrounding landscape the consensus for the landscaping plan was the following: • Develop a landscaping buffer along Kyle Avenue with a minimum of 12 native shrubs to meet the requirements of the mitigation plan o Our plan for the Kyle Avenue landscaping buffer includes nearly 100 plants, including 31 shrubs in this area. • Plant native shrubs along the northern/northeast boundary of the project site to enhance habitat adjacent to the Natural Area that also provides for visual screening for the residents to the north. o Our plan includes 25 new shrubs in this area. • Utilize a pollinator friendly flower/grass seed mix (in lieu of a typical grass only seed mix) to restore areas within the project site that are disturbed by construction activities. Namaste Solar also consulted with the City’s Engineering and Traffic Operations Departments to determine appropriate improvements, if any, for Kyle Avenue. Since the development of this project will not increase traffic to the area once complete, it was determined that a Traffic Impact Study was not required, nor would it be necessary to install a gutter, curb and sidewalk along Kyle Avenue. For the fire access road shown on the enclosed site plan, Namaste Solar consulted with the Poudre Fire Authority on the design to ensure adequate access to this site would be available should an emergency situation arise. Finally, Namaste Solar has considered the feedback from the neighborhood meeting in developing this project plan. There were four main areas of concern identified in the neighborhood meeting. Below is a summary of these concerns and how they have been addressed: Concern #1: Is this type of project allowed in the U-E land use district and eligible for the SP3 program? Response: City staff confirmed the project is considered a medium-scale solar project that is an allowed use and that the project and is eligible for the SP3 program. Concern #2: Will there be glare from the solar panels that will impact nearby residences. Response: Included with this application is a glare study that demonstrates this project will not create significant glare impacts. Concern #3: Will this project negatively impact Prairie Dog Meadows Natural Area Response: Namaste Solar completed an Environmental Characterization Study and worked with Environmental Planning, Stormwater Engineering, Natural Areas and Forestry to develop a plan to limit impacts to the Prairie Dog Meadows and enhance pollinator/animal habitat at the site. Concern #4: The primary concern at the meeting revolved around potential visual impacts to residents who can see the project sites from their homes. Boulder Office Denver Office California Office New York Office Contact Us 6707 Winchester Cir., Ste 700 888 Federal Boulevard 1500 Palma Dr, 2nd Floor 122 Main Street 303-447-0300 Boulder, CO 80301 Denver, CO 80204 Ventura, CA 93003 New Paltz, NY 12561 Namastesolar.com Response: Namaste Solar takes the visual concerns of the neighbors seriously and has worked to reduce potential visual impacts from the project. Firstly, the solar facility will deploy a low-profile racking solution that will be under 10’ in height and closely follow the existing topography of the site. The two other medium-scale projects in Fort Collins (Riverside Community Solar and Laporte Solar) deployed higher profile structures that were ~15 tall. Secondly, Namaste Solar has proposed significant landscaping along Kyle Avenue and along the North/Northeast boundaries of the project site. Once fully grown, the native shrubs are expected to be ~8-10’ tall and will provide some screening of the solar facility. Finally, per the request of residents we have provided 3-D renderings of the solar facility from various viewpoints in the enclosed planning submittal package to provide residents with a better idea of how the project will look once finished. SOLAR PROJECT OWNER: The solar project will be owned by NSE Kyle Road Solar, LLC of which Heath Mackay is the Managing Director. PROPERTY OWNER: The entirety of the development plan area is on property owned by Ann Emery McSay whose address is 6422 Kyle Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80525. NAMASTE SOLAR CONTACT For questions about this project, please contact: Heath Mackay Director of Project Development 6707 Winchester Cir, Ste 700 Boulder, CO 303-447-0300 ext. 235 Heath.mackay@namastesolar.com