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Susupe building gets OK to install solar panels
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Posted on Jan 05 2012
A company that plans to install solar panels on their property in Susupe can now do so without applying for a conditional use permit.
Acting Zoning administrator Therese T. Ogumoro said the application of Marianas Business Plaza was taken out of yesterday’s meeting agenda as approved by the board.
Marianas Business Plaza submitted a conditional use application requesting to install solar panels on its west parking areas, driveways, and walkways fronting its building.
Ogumoro asked for the board to approve the removal of this application from the agenda after conferring with legal counsel Kate Fuller.
She said further discovery and further review of the project’s details led her to a decision to consider the plan as an “accessory use.”
Ogumoro explained that when a company or a residential unit wants to set up solar panels for personal and not commercial use, it can be treated as a “minor site plan” and fall under accessory use. Once the company or residential unit plans to sell the power generated from the solar panels, then it has to apply for a conditional use permit.
“The applicant clarified that their main intention was to generate power for their building, therefore it’s an accessory to their building. This is allowed or permitted under the building’s current zone,” she told Saipan Tribune.
The Marianas Business Plaza location is zoned as Village Commercial.
Although the proposed installation of solar panels has been deemed as a minor site plan, Ogumoro noted that they are requiring the applicant to follow the “primary condition.”
“The applicant has to obtain the approval of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. before making any interconnection to CUC’s electrical grids,” she added.
