OAK HILLS – Residents of Oak Hills are very concerned with an upcoming second round of a neighborhood intruder attempting to muscle its way into the community’s backyard.
The public hearing is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 11, and the board of supervisors will “consider an appeal of the Planning Commission’s denial of a Conditional Use Permit to establish a 2.7 megawatt photovoltaic solar power generating facility on 20 acres,” according to the county notice.
Sycamore Physicians Partners, an Ohio-based solar photovoltaic developer, hopes to challenge the commission’s decision to build the denied solar project in the unincorporated county area south and west of Hesperia. The proposed site is in a rural living land use district on the northeast corner of Fuente Avenue and El Centro Road.
In September, county staff recommended in their report to deny the developer a conditional use permit, stating that not enough evidence was introduced to show the project would not have a “significant impact on the environment, specifically with regard to scenic resources.”
Terri Rahhal, the Planning Director for the Land Use Services Department, said the Planning Commission’s findings showed that the project “would not be compatible with the rural character of the Oak Hills community and would therefore not be consistent with the Oak Hills Community Plan.”
Rahhal also said that many residents expressed concerns over “land use compatibility, given the location of the project site in an area surrounded by rural residential uses.”
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The public hearing for the Sycamore Physicians Partners comes on the heels of another appeal that was recently approved by the board of supervisors. The board unanimously approved a hotly-disputed proposal for a solar-power facility in Helendale on Feb. 25.
The board’s action overturned the Planning Commission’s November decision to reject Sunlight Partners LLC’s proposal for a 7.5-megawatt facility on 80.6 acres.
Sunlight Partners, who plans to build its photovoltaic solar power generating plant between Wild and Smithson roads in Helendale, submitted a revised site plan that would allow more distance between the project’s fence line and an adjacent park.
Helendale Community Services District General Manager Kimberly Cox told the Planning Commission in October that the project would disrupt the park’s scenic vistas.
The county staff report notes that the proposed facility includes 9-foot panels that would support 500-kilovolt inverters and mechanical components.
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The public hearing for the Sycamore Physicians Partners will take place in the Chamber of the Board of Supervisors, County Government Center, 385 North Arrowhead Avenue, First Floor, in the City of San Bernardino.
