There are some areas of the county which by virtue of strong prevailing winds and the absence of extensive development are ideally suited for large scale development of wind energy. The Riverside County general plan provides the basis for the development of this resource.

The provisions of this chapter are intended to recognize this unique wind resource in the county and the need for the development of alternative energy sources.

(Ord. 348.2104, 1982: Ord. 348 § 17.1)

A.

Public Utility Uses.

1.

Structures necessary to the conservation and development of water such as dams, pipelines, and pumping facilities;

2.

Transmission facilities for gas;

3.

Transmission facilities for electricity which are subject to the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission;

4.

Electrical substations;

5.

Railroads, including the necessary facilities in connection therewith;

6.

Cable television transmission facilities.

B.

Meteorological Towers.

1.

Towers under fifty (50) feet high;

2.

Towers fifty (50) feet and higher, provided approval of a plot plan shall first have been granted pursuant to the provisions of section 17.216.020(A). Such a plot plan shall be valid for a period of two years unless a WECS permit is approved on the underlying property within the two-year period, in which case the plot plan shall be valid as long as the WECS permit is valid.

C.

Deleted.

D.

Commercial WECS and WECS arrays with no limit as to rated power output are permitted provided a commercial WECS permit has been granted pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 17.224.

E.

Accessory WECS are permitted provided an accessory WECS permit has been granted pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 17.224.

F.

The following uses are permitted provided approval of a plot plan shall first have been granted pursuant to the provisions of chapter 17.216:

1.

Electrical transmission facilities which are not subject to the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission and are not included in a commercial WECS permit application;

2.

Electrical storage facilities for the temporary storage of power primarily produced upon the land where a permitted WECS or public utility use is established;

3.

Storage of trucks and other vehicles, machinery and materials on land where a permitted WECS or public utility use is established;

4.

Offices and maintenance shop buildings and structures on land where a permitted WECS or public utility use is established;

5.

One-family dwellings for caretakers or watchmen and their families on land where a permitted WECS or public utility use is established, provided no compensation is received for the use of any such dwellings.

G.

The following uses are permitted, provided a conditional use permit has been granted pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 17.200:

1.

Mining operations which are exempt from the provisions of the California Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975 and County Ordinance No. 555.

2.

Solar power plant on a lot ten (10) acres or larger.

H.

Mining operations which are subject to the California Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975 are permitted, provided the operator holds a valid permit pursuant to county Ordinance No. 555.

I.

Any use that is not specifically listed in Subsections F. and G. may be considered a permitted or conditionally permitted use provided that the planning director finds that the proposed use is substantially the same in character and intensity as those listed in the designated subsections. Such a use is subject to the permit process which governs the category in which it falls.

(Ord. 348.3567, 1993; Ord. 348.2104, 1982; Ord. 348 § 17.2)

(Ord. 348.4713, § 24, 11-9-2010; Ord. 348.4705, § 19, 11-8-2011)

The following development standards shall apply in the W-E zone:

A.

Height Limits.

1.

No commercial WECS shall exceed five hundred (500) feet in height.

2.

No other building or structure shall exceed twenty (20) feet in height unless a height up to seventy-five (75) feet for buildings or four hundred (400) feet for other structures is specifically permitted under the provisions of section 17.172.230.

B.

Setbacks. Minimum setbacks are as follows:

1.

No building or structure shall be closer than fifty (50) feet from any lot line.

2.

Setbacks for accessory WECS shall be as prescribed by Chapter 17.224.

3.

Setbacks for commercial WECS and WECS arrays of all sizes shall be as prescribed by Chapter 17.224.

4.

Setbacks for a commercial WECS or WECS array used primarily for research or experimentation shall be as prescribed by Chapter 17.224.

5.

No solar power plants shall be closer than ten (10) feet from any lot line.

C.

Automobile storage space shall be provided as required by Chapter 17.188.

(Ord. 348.3567, 1993; Ord. 348.2848, 1988; Ord. 348.2104, 1982; Ord. 348 § 17.3)

(Ord. 348.4705, § 20, 11-8-2011)