Challenge
A developer needed to evaluate permitting feasibility for a battery storage facility on a potential site and wanted to understand if any previous BESS facilities had been rejected in the past.
What Clara Did
Clara analyzed more than 1,200 documents including zoning and comprehensive plans, battery storage and hazardous use definitions, fire code references, prior BESS and solar plus storage applications, staff reports, Planning Commission and Council agendas and minutes, and public comments.
Key insights delivered
- Identified which zoning and conditional use pathways had successfully permitted BESS projects in that jurisdiction
- Identified 5 prior projects that had successfully been permitted by this jurisdiction
- Mapped which planning commissioners and council members had historically supported or opposed battery storage
- Summarized the most common community concerns raised against similar projects
Outcome
- Project layout and fire mitigation plans were adjusted early to match what had been approved in prior cases
- Several weeks of early stage diligence and tens of thousands of dollars in consultant and legal spend were avoided
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