County seeks input on solar ordinance
ESCANABA — The Delta County Planning Commission is undertaking the development of a Delta County-wide solar ordinance and is requesting the public’s participation.
The DPC would like community members, developers, and other interested parties to participate in this effort. This ordinance will address residential, commercial,and industrial solar installations. In order to develop a solar ordinance that adequately reflects the concerns of county residents, the DPC wants input.
Once the input has been collected, the DPC will review, along with existing research, that pertains to human health and safety, environmental impacts,and other renewable energy concerns,as well as review solar ordinances from other rural communities.
The ordinance will guide solar development in 10 townships in Delta County (Escanaba, Ford River, Bark River, and Masonville townships have their own zoning).
Three public meetings have already been held with a sub-committee of the DPC, but the DPC is accepting written input until April 30. There are three ways to submit written input
≤Submit online by going to deltacountymi.org and selecting the online form under Government, then Solar Ordinance Information.
≤ Send input through USPS mail, include your name, city or township of residence, email address, and phone number and mail to Christine Williams,Delta County Solar Ordinance, 310 Ludington St., Escanaba MI 49829.
≤ email your input to planning commission.org.
According to Christine Williams, chair of the DPC, the effort to develop a solar ordinance for Delta County is consistent with the Delta County Master Plan, approved in 2019, “Objective 4.3 specifies that Delta County will minimize the environmental impacts of energy usage through the improvement of county-wide energy efficiency and opportunities for renewable energies”.
This effort to develop a solar ordinance for Delta County will address four specific action items outlined under Objective 4.3: it will identify areas suitable for the potential development of solar; will develop incentives to support efficient energy practices; will encourage residential net metering, and will result in the development of an ordinance for solar energy.
The public will have an opportunity to review the draft solar ordinance during public hearings. Once reviews and any subsequent changes are made, the ordinance will go before the entire Delta County Board of Delta Commissioners for final approval and adoption.