The Neighborhood Wins First Round in a Solar Farm Dispute

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-We the people … had a victory last Thursday with the Appeal to a Solar Farm in Lake View Terrace being upheld by the North Valley Planning Commission against all efforts by the City and particularly LADWP to approve 3500 ground based commercial solar panels generating electricity to be sold to LADWP smack dab in the middle a rural community. 

This was no small victory as it will, if upheld, define and direct the future of solar commercial development in the City, and perhaps the State. The hearing room in Van Nuys was standing room only with more than 100 citizens coming to passionately present their individual concerns regarding the City’s lack of transparency and tossing out the rules as they apply to Planning and project development. 

The hero of the 3 ½ hour ordeal was CD7 Councilman Felipe Fuentes.  He said the project could be  properly classified as an electrical power generating station, which is under the purview of existing Planning Code and should go through the standard channels of approval rather than being given total exemptions. 

He further encouraged the Planning Commission that they had the authority to make such a decision and encouraged them to do so. And he finally added that he agreed with the community that  the location within the neighbor was inappropriate. 

This is only the beginning of actions that need to be taken by both the City and the State to clarify and define the reasonable application of solar generation which is necessary for our future. 

We hope the City Council follows the lead of their Chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, Councilman Fuentes, whose Council Motion #14-0331 is being forwarded in Committee this Wednesday, May 7. 

It not only addresses the project above and the need to have some discretionary ability but also the need to have the LADWP be more transparent as to where the location of similar land based projects are being built because up to now they are with-holding that information from the public.

 

(Nancy Woodruff is Foothill Trails District Neighborhood Council Vice President and Land Use Chair. She can be reached at: [email protected]) 

-cw

 

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 12 Issue 37

Pub: May 6, 2014