Homeowners in the Historic District who want to install solar panels will be evaluated on an individualized approach following a new policy by the Historic Preservation Board. The change comes after a resident had panels installed on the roof of her home on 3rd Street.
Previously, solar panels were not accounted for in the guidelines of historical preservation. The board concluded that in comparison of energy efficiency and historic preservation, the panels should not affect the architecture of the building.
Carol Alvey, who resides at 417 East 3rd Street, had solar panels installed last month on two roofing areas — one was a south-facing panel visible to 3rd Street, and the other a west-facing panel visible from Crittenden Street.
The board ruled in this instance to allow Alvey to keep the solar panels due to their not being a policy in place before she had them installed.
However, now the board plans to only allow solar panels to be placed in certain areas.
“For future reference, we would ask that people who are proposing [solar panels] in the historic district … not have those panels on the front of their house, in the front yard, so obviously visible from the street view,” Chair Ed Allen said.
The board clarified that only panels that are facing the address side of the street would not be allowed — meaning panels visible from the street but not installed on the street side of the roof would be allowed.
In addition, all panels will have to be parallel to the roof they are placed on, rather than askew.
The policy would apply to residential units within the fringe of the Historic District, while buildings firmly in the “Historic Core” and the “Downtown Core” would not be granted this levity.
“In those areas toward the edge of the Historic District, we have been a little more lenient with exceptions, and we probably could do that. I don’t see why we couldn’t do that in this situation either,” Allen said.
