Docket Item "I" UP-15-35

Western Branch Solar Panels

CITY COUNCIL PACKAGE FOR

AUGUST 18, 2015

Heard by Planning Commission on August 12, 2015

Page 1 – 2 Application Summary 3 – 4 Planning Commission Draft Minutes 5 – 15 Staff Report: July 30, 2015

16 Site Plan 17 Aerial 18 GIS Parcel Exhibit

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APPLICATION SUMMARY

UP-15-35 Western Branch Solar Panels

LOCATION: 1968 Bruin Drive

PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit for roof mounted solar panels for power generation at Western Branch High School.

SUBMITTED: 6-8-15 ACCEPTED: 6-12-15

CITY COUNCIL

HEARING DATE: 7-14-15

ACTION: APPROVED FOR CONCURRENT ADVERTISING

VOTE: 8 – 0 (Ward/De Triquet, Davis abstained)

STAFF RECOMMENDATION

Approval

PLANNING COMMISSION

HEARING DATE: 8-12-15

RECOMMENDATION: APPROVAL

VOTE: 7 - 1

ATTACHMENTS

Draft Minutes, Staff Report, Site Photo, Site Plan, Aerial, GIS Parcel Exhibit

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APPLICATION SUMMARY

UP-15-35 Western Branch Solar Panels

APPLICANT: Dominion Virginia Power Attn: Rob Smith 701 East Cary Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-775-5061 rob.smith@dom.com Board of Directors: William P. Barr Helen E. Dragas Adm. James O. Ellis, Jr. USN (Ret) Thomas F. Farrell, II John W. Harris, Lead Director Mark J. Kington Pamela J. Royal, MD Robert H. Spilman, Jr. Michael E. Szymanczyk David A. Wollard

OWNER: City of Chesapeake School Board Attn: Paige Stutz 312 Cedar Road Chesapeake, VA 23322 547-1321 Paige.stutz@cpschools.com School Board Members:

Mrs. Christie New Craig Mr. C. Jeff Bunn Mr. Samuel L. Boone, Jr. Mrs. Colleen C. Leary Mr. Thomas L. Mercer, Sr. Mr. Harry A. Murphy Mrs. Victoria L. Proffitt Mr. Louis J. Tayon, Jr. Mr. Michael J. Woods

School Administration: Dr. James T. Roberts, Superintendent J. Paige Stutz, Assistant Superintendent for Operations Dr. John A. Bailey, Director of School Plants

3 Chesapeake Planning Commission

DRAFT August 12, 2015 Public Hearing Minutes

UP-15-35 PROJECT: Western Branch Solar Panels APPLICANT: Dominion Virginia Power PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit for roof mounted solar panels for power generation at Western Branch High School. ZONE: R-10s, Residential District LOCATION: 1968 Bruin Place TAX MAP SECTION/PARCEL: 0100000000790 BOROUGH: Western Branch (This item was approved for concurrent advertising and will be heard by City Council on August 18, 2015)

PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION:

Planning Commission recommends that UP-15-35 be APPROVED. (7-1, Morris/Small, Perry opposed, Williams excused)

Mrs. Hanson read UP-15-35 into the record for Commission review and action.

Staff Presentation:

Mr. Hobbs stated that based on the findings listed in the staff report, Planning staff recommended that UP-15-35 be APPROVED as listed in the official agenda.

Proponent:

Max Bartholomew, Regional Manager, 4901 Princess Anne Road, Virginia Beach, Virginia, appeared before the Commission on behalf of UP-15-35 representing Dominion Virginia Power.

Rob Smith, New Technology Construction Manager, 701 E. Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia, appeared before the Commission on behalf of UP-15-35 representing the Dominion Virginia Power.

COMMISSION DISCUSSION:

Commissioner Perry confirmed with the Construction Manager that power would not be fed to the school and that it was only a roof lease agreement. Commissioner Perry asked why this location was chosen and were any other locations explored. Mr. Smith stated that the purpose of the program was to study the impact of solar on their electric grid. He said there was not a lot of solar in Virginia and they wanted to get ahead of the curve. He said he wanted to understand how the grid would interact with having distributed generation sites inputting power at certain areas of their grid. He said the grid that served the area of the school was one of the sites they explored. He stated the school was large, structurally sound, and had a new roof which corresponded with their long term lease plus the roof had a twenty year warranty.

4 Chesapeake Planning Commission DRAFT August 12, 2015 Public Hearing Minutes

Chairman Kish stated that in stainability type projects especially, the schools are being used across the country, they looked at things like this as learning opportunities for the students. In the cities that build sustainable schools, they usually provided a lesson plan to the students about the sustainability features of the school. He stated that our Government had made a big issue of Green Energy and that it was sustainable and could be a learning tool for the students. He asked Mr. Smith if they had looked into this with the Chesapeake School System to develop a way to use this as a learning tool for the students. Mr. Smith said that they would be sharing the energy data from the PV (photovoltaic) system with the schools so they can use it in curriculums, they were also going to have a weather station on the roof and would be able to see the data from that. In addition to that, they would be working with an outside consultant to help develop curriculum around the solar PV System.

Commissioner Van Laethem stated that he was disappointed that a representative from Chesapeake Public Schools was not present at the meeting to answer any questions. He said the panels were on a ballast system and asked what was connected to the roof. He also wanted to know what was brought down to the ground level, if anything, and how would the energy generated be transmitted to the grid. Mr. Smith stated it was, by design, a ballast system which meant it was weighted and that there were no mechanical attachments to the roof. He said the system was designed for 110 mile an hour winds which was the same design as the building. He said that the equipment that converted the energy from DC power to AC power would be on the ground. He stated that solar generated power at DC but that the public used AC power. He said that inverters were required to change the power from DC to AC power. All the wires from the roof would be coming down the back of the building and into converters. These converters would sit on a concrete slab and then go underground to the Schools transformer. Commissioner Van Laethem said the school building had a history of leakage despite the new roof and that the air conditioning was also on the roof with a history of breaking down. He asked if a leak arose on the roof who would be responsible. Mr. Smith said he believed the lease agreement was written so that if they caused the leak, they would fix the leak. Commissioner Van Laethem asked how long this project would take once the construction began. Mr. Small stated that their goal was to be off the site by the end of the calendar year. Commissioner Van Laethem asked if there were any safety concerns or plans should something catastrophic happen. Mr. Small stated he was comfortable putting the solar panels on this facility and that they had installed all the safety requirements electrically including a kill button which would shut the system down.

COMMISSION VOTE:

Commissioner Morris moved that UP-15-35 be APPROVED as listed in the official agenda and as recommended by staff. Commissioner Small seconded the motion. The motion was carried by a vote of 7 - 1. Commissioner Perry voted against the motion. Commissioners Williams was excused.

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Western Branch Solar Panels UP-15-35

APPLICANT: Dominion Virginia Power PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit for roof mounted solar panels for power generation at Western Branch High School. ZONE: R-10s, Residential District LOCATION: 1968 Bruin Pl TAX MAP SECTION/PARCEL: 0100000000790 BOROUGH: Western Branch