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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/19/1986 Meeting M I NUT E S e Eugene City Council Lunch/Work Session McNutt Room--City Hall March 19, 1986 11 : 30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Richard Hansen, Freeman Holmer, Emily Schue, Cynthia Wooten, Ruth Bascom, Debra Ehrman, Jeff Miller. Mayor Brian B. Obie called the meeting to order. He welcomed Larry Campbell, legislative representative, to the lunch/work session. Mr. Campbell will speak at the regular meeting of the council later. I. REVISIONS TO SOLAR ACCESS REGULATIONS (CA 84-4) Gary Chenkin of the Planning Department discussed the concepts involved in solar access protection regulations and the process used to develop the pro- posed revisions. He said the City Council will have another study session on the proposed revisions before the public hearing. He said the solar access protection regulations are similar to the regulations in the Springfield code. e Mr. Chenkin said solar access means the ability of a building to receive energy from the sun for lighting, space heating, water heating, or electrical generation. He said the use of solar energy is becoming popular and practical and access to solar energy needs to be protected. He said some people locate their homes so they can use solar energy and some people make investments in solar systems. The actions of neighbors later can affect the benefits. Mr. Chenkin reviewed a 1982 study by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The study indicated that the use of solar energy in residences in the Eugene/Springfield area could result in savings of $9 million or 22 percent of the cost of electrical energy. In Eugene, the use of solar energy in resi- dences had resulted in a savings of about $800,000 annually in the cost of electrical energy in the last few years although only about 44 percent of the homes in Eugene were located so they had clear solar access to the south wall at that time. Mr. Chenki~ said the existing solar access protection regulations in Eugene applied only to new developments, but the revisions would also apply to existing developments. He emphasized that it is important to protect access to solar energy because the siting of homes cannot be changed after they are bui 1 t. e Mr. Chenkin said the proposed revisions concern solar setbacK standards for new buildings and additions in existing developments, solar design standards for new subdivisions and Planned Unit Developments (PUDs), and solar access guarantees that would prohibit newly-planted trees from shading neighboring MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session Ma rc h 1 9, 1 986 Page 1 e e e property solar systems. He said the proposed reV1Slons indicate that new buildings and additions in existing low-density developments should not shade south-facing walls on other properties any more than an 8-foot fence on the north property line would shade them (south wall standard). If the 8-foot fence standard will not permit a building or addition, the proposed revisions indicate that the new building or addition should not shade the roof of build- ings on other properties more than a 16-foot fence located on the north property line would shade them (south roof standard). If the south wall and south roof standards cannot be met, the revisions guarantee that homes in low- density zoning districts can be built to a height of 24 feet. Answering a question from Councilor Hansen, Mr. Chenkin said the proposed revisions do not take additional rights away from property owners. The revi- sions add a setback similar to the setbacks in the zoning ordinance. He said the proposed revisions balance the rights of property owners to develop their property and the rights of other property owners to invest in the use of solar energy. Replying to questions from Councilor Holmer, Mr. Chenkin said the ordinance does not include statements about neighbors negotiating about solar access, but the ordinance does not prohibit that kind of negotiations. The standards will be detailed in the code. Mr. Chenkin said the standards for new developments indicate that lots should be designed, if possible, with a north-south dimension that will permit houses to be placed so they will not shade houses to the north. The regulations will permit developers to use either prescriptive and performance methods of demon- strating compliance to the solar access provisions for a minimum of 80 percent of the lots. He reviewed the exceptions to the standards. He emphasized that PUD and subdivision developers will be guaranteed the density in the zoning ordinance if the solar access standards cannot be met without reducing the density. Mr. Chenkin said the solar access guarantee indicates that new vegetation that will shade an adjoining lot cannot be planted after a solar access guarantee has been granted. He reviewed the process for obtaining a solar access guar- antee for specific lots. He said the solar access guarantee limits vegetation only on the part of a lot on which the vegetation would shade another lot. Mr. Hansen asked Mr. Chenkin to investigate the possibility of protecting people from the sight of solar systems on neighbors' roofs if the people have been prohibited from planting trees. (Recorded by Betty Lou Rarick) BLR:ch/2004C MINUTES--Eugene City Council Work Session March 19, 1986 Page 2