Renewable Energy Combining Zone

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The Renewable Energy combining zone is used to designate and protect areas within the county that are suitable for the development of large, utility-scale renewable energy facilities. The designation of RE sites should be based on the availability of renewable resources, the location of existing or proposed infrastructure, and the potential for renewable energy facilities to be appropriately sited and to effectively mitigate potential significant impacts. Private developers may request that this zoning be applied to specific properties in order to allow renewable power production facilities on agricultural and/or resource lands, where appropriate.

The purpose of creating this combining zone is to enable future rezoning of specific parcels for larger renewable energy facilities while limiting the use in other similarly zoned areas. The intent is to protect important agricultural, biotic and resource lands for other uses, while still allowing renewable power production facilities where appropriate.

Permit requirements in the Renewable Energy Combining Zone would allow larger renewable energy power production facilities with a Use Permit

• May not be applied in the Land Intensive Agriculture (LIA) zone or on residentially zoned parcels
• Site must contain renewable energy resources, including biomass, wind, geothermal, hydro, or solar
• Site is located proximate to transmission or distribution infrastructure lines, as applicable, or the extension of new lines has been reviewed and recommended by the Planning Commission and the CPUC
• Site may not be located within a designed Resource Area (Biotic, Scenic, Historic) unless a protective easement is provided to ensure protection of the resources.
• Site may not be located within the approach zone (outer or inner safety zones) or the inner turning zones for any public use airport