Freetown City Zoning Code

The purpose of this article is to promote the creation of new large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installations by providing standards for the placement, design, construction, operation, monitoring, modification and removal of such installations that address public safety, minimize impacts on scenic, natural and historic resources and to provide adequate financial assurance for the eventual decommissioning of such installations.

The provisions set forth in this article shall apply to the construction, operation, and/or repair of large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installations.

Compliance with laws, ordinances and regulations. The construction and operation of all large-scale solar photovoltaic installations shall be consistent with all applicable local, state and federal requirements, including but not limited to all applicable safety, construction, electrical, and communications requirements. All buildings and fixtures forming part of a solar photovoltaic installation shall be constructed in accordance with the State Building Code.

Building permit and building inspection. No large-scale solar photovoltaic installation shall be constructed, installed or modified as provided in this article without first obtaining a building permit.

Fees. The application for a building permit for a large-scale solar photovoltaic installation must be accompanied by the fee required for a building permit.

General. All plans and maps shall be prepared, stamped and signed by a professional engineer licensed to practice in Massachusetts.

Required documents. Pursuant to the site plan review process, the project proponent shall provide the following documents:

The site plan review authority may waive documentary requirements as it deems appropriate.

Setbacks. For large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installations, front, side and rear setbacks shall be as follows:

Appurtenant structures. All appurtenant structures to large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installations shall be subject to reasonable regulations concerning the bulk and height of structures, lot area, setbacks, open space, parking and building coverage requirements. All such appurtenant structures, including, but not limited to, equipment shelters, storage facilities, transformers, and substations, shall be architecturally compatible with each other. Whenever reasonable, structures should be shaded from view by vegetation and/or joined or clustered to avoid adverse visual impacts.

Lighting.

Signage. Signs on large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installations shall comply with a municipality's sign bylaw. A sign consistent with a municipality's sign bylaw shall be required to identify the owner and provide a twenty-four-hour emergency contact phone number.

Utility connections. Reasonable efforts, as determined by the site plan review authority, shall be made to place all utility connections from the solar photovoltaic installation underground, depending on appropriate soil conditions, shape, and topography of the site and any requirements of the utility provider. Electrical transformers for utility interconnections may be aboveground if required by the utility provider.

Emergency services. The large-scale solar photovoltaic installation owner or operator shall provide a copy of the project summary, electrical schematic, and site plan to the local Fire Chief. Upon request, the owner or operator shall cooperate with local emergency services in developing an emergency response plan. All means of shutting down the solar photovoltaic installation shall be clearly marked. The owner or operator shall identify a responsible person for public inquires throughout the life of the installation.

Land clearing. Soil erosion and habitat impacts. Clearing of natural vegetation shall be limited to what is necessary for the construction, operation and maintenance of the large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installation or otherwise prescribed by applicable laws, regulations, and bylaws.

Solar photovoltaic installation conditions. The large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installation owner or operator shall maintain the facility in good condition. Maintenance should include, but not be limited to, painting, structural repairs, and integrity of security measures. Site access shall be maintained to a level acceptable to the local Fire Chief and Emergency Medical Services. The owner or operator shall be responsible for the cost of maintaining the solar photovoltaic installation and any access road(s), unless accepted as a public way.

Modifications. All material modifications to a solar photovoltaic installation made after the issuance of the required building permit shall require approval by the site plan review authority.

Removal requirements. Any large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installation which has reached the end of its useful life or has been abandoned consistent with § 300-10.13B of this article shall be removed. The owner or operator shall physically remove the installation no more than 150 days after the date of discontinued operations. The owner or operator shall notify the site plan review authority by certified mail of the proposed date of discontinued operations and plans for removal. Decommissioning shall consist of:

Abandonment. Absent notice of a proposed date of decommissioning or written notice of extenuating circumstances, the solar photovoltaic installation shall be considered abandoned when it fails to operate for more than one year without the written consent of the site plan review authority. If the owner or operator of the large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installation fails to remove the installation in accordance with the requirements of this article within 150 days of abandonment or the proposed date of decommissioning, the Town may enter the property and physically remove the installation.

Financial surety. Proponents of large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic projects shall provide a form of surety, either through escrow account, bond or otherwise, to cover the cost of removal in the event the Town must remove the installation and remediate the landscape, in an amount and form determined to be reasonable by the site plan review authority, but in no event to exceed more than 125% of the cost of removal and compliance with the additional requirements set forth herein, as determined by the project proponent. Such surety will not be required for municipally or state-owned facilities. The project proponent shall submit a fully inclusive estimate of the costs associated with removal, prepared by a qualified engineer. The amount shall include a mechanism for calculating increased removal costs due to inflation.