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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA MEMORANDUM TO: Jason E. Brown; County Administrator THROUGH: Stan Boling, AICP; Community Development Director THROUGH: John W. McCoy, AICP; Chief, Current Development FROM: Ryan Sweeney; Senior Planner, Current Development DATE: March 6, 2017 SUBJECT: Florida Power & Light Company's Request for Special Exception Use Approval for a Private Heavy Utility (Solar Energy Center) [SP -SE -17-03-01 / 2016110089-78358] It is requested that the data herein presented be given formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at its regular meeting of March 21, 2017. DESCRIPTION & CONDITIONS Culpepper & Terpening, Inc., on behalf of Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), has submitted an application for major site plan and special exception use approval to construct a new private heavy utility (solar energy center). The subject site is approximately 697 acres in size and is located on the east side of 122nd Avenue SW, immediately north of the Indian River County/St. Lucie County boundary (see attachment 3). The site is zoned A-2, Agricultural -2 (up to 1 unit per 10 acres), a zoning district in which special exception use approval is required for private heavy utilities (including solar energy centers). The proposed solar energy center will consist of approximately 350 acres of solar arrays, stabilized access pathways, and an on-site electrical substation. The remainder of the site (i.e. the southern half) is not proposed for development at this time (see attachment 6), and any future use will be subject to A-2 zoning district regulations. It should be noted that the proposed project includes an on-site electrical substation. An electrical substation as a stand-alone use in the A-2 zoning district would be classified as a private limited utility, and would require administrative permit use approval by the Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC), but would not require approval by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC). The proposed solar energy center, which includes the on-site substation as an accessory use/improvement, must be reviewed through the special exception use approval process, and that process requires public hearings by the PZC and the BCC. If the subject solar energy center project is approved, then the on-site substation will also be approved as an accessory use/improvement. In this case, the applicant has applied for concurrent major site plan and special exception use approval. Consistent with the County land development regulations (LDRs), staff has approved the major site plan application subject to BCC approval of the special exception use request. C \Users\GRANIC-1\AppData\Local\Temp\BCL Technologies\easyPDF 7\@BCL@F0050FF3\@BCL@F0050FF3.docx P185