At a recent Londonderry Planning Board workshop meeting, one of the agenda items was the discussion of a solar ordinance draft.
Planning Board member Lynn Wiles, who also chairs the Utilities Committee, explained that the town had formed a subcommittee focused on energy.
“As part of that committee we had an energy subcommittee,” Wiles said during the meeting.
Wiles said the committee was exploring ways to implement “good energy policies that would benefit the citizens of Londonderry.”
“The committee started facilitating a project here in town, a larger commercial solar array project,” he said.
Upon reviewing the project, Wiles said they realized that the town’s zoning regulations are “basically silent” when it comes to solar energy.
He noted that the lack of guidance applies to all types of solar usage, “getting right down to a private solar array on your roof.”
“It doesn’t say you can’t do it. It just is silent,” Wiles said.
He added that it was surprising, considering the town already has a section of the zoning ordinance related to wind energy.
“I don’t know why we did one but not the other. That was a long time ago when that happened,” Wiles said.
He explained that based on this project and others in town, they realized the need to update the zoning ordinance so “a developer or any private individual, private entity wishing to do something with solar on their property could do it.”
“They would know what the rules are, and the rules would be fair to everybody and well known to everybody, consistent across the board,” Wiles said.
Wiles encouraged everyone to review the draft ordinance and send comments to him. He and Town Planner Kristan Farr will incorporate the feedback into a revised draft, which the Board will revisit in the future.
One question raised during the meeting was when the ordinance might be ready for a public hearing.
Wiles said he believes they could be ready by June.
He also noted that they reviewed the state’s model ordinance, as well as ordinances from other towns, and used the language they felt was most appropriate.
Ultimately, Wiles said the goal is to create a system where the rules are clearly laid out and the process for solar installations is well defined.
The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for May 14, beginning at 7 p.m.