HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-16-24 Public Comment - A. Sweeney - Please include a comprehensive solar access law in the upcoming UDC rewriteFrom:Alison Sweeney
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Please include a comprehensive solar access law in the upcoming UDC rewrite
Date:Friday, September 13, 2024 2:37:10 PM
Attachments:Letter to Mayor & Commissioners-SolarAccessLaw.pdf
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On behalf of the Better Bozeman Coalition, I submit to you, the attached request from a
number of community stakeholders asking that you craft and adopt a comprehensive solaraccess law as part of the upcoming Unified Development Code rewrite.
Thank you,
Alison B. Sweeney
Better Bozeman CoalitionOur mission is to preserve the unique character of Bozeman’s neighborhoods while working
with the city on housing affordability, availability, and natural resource sustainability.
To our Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and City Commissioners,
As stakeholders in our community’s Unified Development Code rewrite process,
we ask you to implement a Solar Access Ordinance in order to protect a
significant public resource in the form of privately owned solar systems.
With increased development pressure, and a push for higher density in urban
areas, we believe that protecting home and business owner’s financial investment
in renewable energy systems with municipal code is now warranted. Because of
increased building height allowances and existing (and likely future) lack of zone
edge transitions, many of the city's 2,200 residential and commercial solar
systems are at risk of being made essentially worthless by shading from tall new
developments. In addition to undermining a valuable public resource, this also
potentially opens the city to dozens of needless lawsuits.
We request that Bozeman city staff be directed to draft such an ordinance in
conjunction with local stakeholders that include the following:
• Local solar industry professionals and installers
• Solar energy system owners (commercial and residential)
• Advocacy organizations such as the Montana Renewable Energy
Association (MREA)
• MSU office of Sustainability
• Bozeman’s Sustainability Citizen Advisory Board
We consider privately owned solar energy generation systems as a public
resource in our community’s efforts to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2030,
reduce carbon emissions, fight climate change, and become a more sustainable
city.
Additionally, solar industry jobs are good paying jobs in a growing sector of our
economy that are largely held by those who live in our community. By protecting
the product of this industry we will be protecting good jobs that strengthen our
community by keeping local dollars circulating in the local economy.
Thank you,
Alison Sweeney and Andy Knaub, residential solar owners
Todd Scott, President, Bozeman Brewing Company, commercial solar owner
(50kw)
Montana Renewable Energy Association (statewide solar advocacy organization)
Makenna Sellers, Executive Director
Brad Van Wert, Board President
Kathy Powell and Steve Griswold, residential solar system owners
Conor Darby, partner and CEO, OnSite Energy, Inc.
Steve and Colette Kirchhoff, former mayor and residential solar owners
Ita Killeen, residential solar owner
Carson Taylor and Dede Taylor, former Mayor and residential solar owners
Carolyn Boyd, residential solar owner
Chris and Maddy Pope, State Senator and residential solar owners
Juliet Osman, residential solar owner
Jeff Krauss, former mayor
Patrick and Carol Flaherty, residential solar owner
Avery Donovan, Sales and Design Specialist, Independent Power Systems
Karl Whitmore, residential solar owner
Todd Hoitsma and Amy Kelly Hoitsma, founder and owner of Liquid Solar Systems,
and residential solar owners
Mark Jensen, founder/owner, Big M Construction, and solar installation
professional
Charles D Jones, Bozeman resident, solar advocate
Chris and Rebekah Bunting, commercial building solar system owners and
advocates
Liesl Pessl and John Wimberly, solar advocates