The Blythe Mesa Solar Energy Project/Conditional Use Permit No. 3685, Public Use Permit No. 913, Change of Zone No. 7831, Ordinance No. 664.57 Approving Develop

The Blythe Mesa Solar Energy Project/Conditional Use Permit No. 3685, Public Use Permit No. 913, Change of Zone No. 7831, Ordinance No. 664.57 Approving Develop

Conditional Use Permit No. 3685 proposes a 485 megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) electrical generating facility consisting of a solar array field utilizing single-axis solar PV trackers and panels with a combined maximum height of eight feet. Supporting facilities on-site would include up to three electrical substations, up to two operation and maintenance buildings, inverters, transformers, and associated switchgear. The Project site will be secured 24 hours per day by on site private security personnel or remote services with motion-detection cameras. An equestrian-wire, wildlife-friendly and drainage-compatible security fence that meets National Electric Safety Code would be placed around the perimeter of the site. An approximate 334-acre portion of the 3,660-acre Project site is located within the City of Blythe jurisdiction, the remaining 3,326 acres is within the unincorporated County. Public Use Permit No. 913 proposes to permit, alternative 3, which is a new 8.8 mile long, 230 kilovolt (kV) double-circuit generation-tie transmission line would connect the proposed Project with the approved Colorado River Substation located west of the Project site subject to Public Use Permit (3.6 miles of the generation-tie line are located within the Project site, and 5.2 miles are located off-site within a 125-foot-wide BLM ROW between the Project site and the Colorado River Substation). Change of zone No. 7831 proposes to rezone approximately 1,249 acres from Controlled Development Areas 5 acre minimum and 10 acre minimum (W-2-5 and W-2-10) and Natural Assets (N-A) to Light Agriculture 10 acre minimum (A-1-10). The applicant has also proposed to enter into a Development Agreement (DA No. 79) with the County for the Project consistent with the County's solar power plant program. DA No. 79 has a term of thirty years and will grant the applicant vesting rights to develop the Project in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Proposed Ordinance No. 664.57 incorporates by reference and adopts DA No. 79 consistent with Government Code Section 65867.5.

Blythe

Riverside