The Gloucester Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of a revised solar energy facilities ordinance following a meeting held last Thursday in the colonial courthouse.

Planners received plenty of public comments for the ordinance revisions from both residents and solar company representatives at the meeting.

The revisions limit the maximum height of ground mounted solar facilities to 20 feet, the maximum percentages of total land area devoted to solar facilities in the county’s Suburban Countryside (SC-1) and Rural Countryside (RC-1) districts to 2 percent each, decommissioning plans be developed for solar facilities, and requiring post-land disturbance soils testing, among other changes.

Tim Trant, attorney at Kaufman & Canoles, was at the meeting representing Tri Global Energy. He took to the podium and expressed his admiration for the ordinance as it is beneficial to both the community and the solar industry. However, he did not agree with everything writ...