Thought on Solar in Harvard's Historic Districts

[Jim Elkind]

Thought you'd be interested.

 

Jim Elkind

(m) 508-517-0800

 

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From: Roseanne Saalfield [mailto:z...@charter.net]
Sent: Friday, September 16, 2011 10:44 AM
Subject: Re: Solarize Harvard

 Without being held to this statement - which I make as an individual member of the Commission before we have had our formal first look at design guidelines at our October meeting (first Wed of the month) here's what I can say:

- I don't rightly think any LHDC (local historic district commission ) in the state can forbid people to attach solar panels to their bldgs in historic districts, especially given the state's commitment to renewable energy

- I am personally not inclined to argue that we forbid the attachment of PV panels in our districts, even if others on the Commission are. 

- I am aware that other cities and towns are ahead of Harvard on this important issue and have written design guidelines to guide Commissioners and property owners in siting the panels

- Such guidelines request that property owners site the panels out of view of a public way if at all possible and on secondary structures (such as your barn) if at all possible. I am wiling to bet - but not be held accountable - that we would adopt similar guidelines.

- Even in the absence of our official guidelines (and we are peddling as fast as we can, given our late start) any property owner interested in attaching PV panels should apply for a Certificate of Applicability with the Commission. The paperwork can be gotten from Janet Vellante at Town Hall (she will stamp and date it and let me know an application has arrived) and you would be scheduled for a hearing with us at the next meeting for which your paperwork arrives in time. (I ask applicants to file at Town Hall no later than the Thurs preceding our meeting. In your case that would be Thurs Sept 29. (I would let you know what time  your hearing is scheduled. We meet between 7 - 9 pm at the old library, former Periodicals Room). We ask all applicants - regardless of their request - to come prepared to their hearings with as much data and graphics as possible. Photos of your house (and subsidiary structures) from all sides visible from a public way, documentation about the changes proposed and the products to be used (e.g., photos of the panels themselves, the size of the installation, etc.) Your models need not be professionally drawn as we are not asking petitioners to incur greater expenses than they need to do their job. The information you bring to support your application, however, should be legible, informative, to scale and clear so that it actually helps us see and understand what you are asking permission to do.

Roseanne