ZF #2020-0043: Public meeting to accept public comment on the Gibson Solar Farm Draft Environmental Impact Report for a Use Permit to construct and operate a large-scale solar energy system and battery storage facility that proposes to locate on an approximately 147-acre agriculturally-zoned parcel consisting of prime farmland and enrolled in the Williamson Act (APN: 049-100-035). No action is required by the Planning Commission at this time. (Applicant: Gibson Renewables, LLC/Owner: AWR Land Partnership, LP) (Planner: Tracy Gonzalez)

FILE # 2020-0043: Gibson Solar Farm Project
APPLICANT: Jamie Nagel, Project Manager Gibson Renewables, LLC 5000 Hopyard Road, Suite 302 Pleasanton, CA 94588	OWNER: AWR Land Partnership, LP 13330 County Road 102 Woodland, CA 95776
LOCATION: (no situs address) Property located west of Madison along State Route 16 (APN: 049-100-035; previously identified as 049-100-002) GENERAL PLAN: Agriculture (AG) ZONING: Agricultural Intensive (A-N) SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT: 5 (Barajas) PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE: Not required	SOILS: 30.3 acres BrA (Brentwood silty clay loam, 0 to 2% slopes) (Class I); 30.5 acres Ca (Capay silty clay, 0% slopes) (Class II); 36.6 acres Mf (Marvin silty clay loam) (Class II); and, 48.4 acres Ya (Yolo silt loam, 0 to 2% slopes) (Class I) FMMP 2018: Prime Farmland WILLIAMSON ACT: Agreement #71-206 FLOOD ZONE: AO (area within 100-yr floodplain, shallow flooding 1 to 3 feet), X (area not within floodplain) FIRE SEVERITY ZONE: Non-Wildland/Non-Urban
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: Environmental Impact Report

That the Planning Commission:

1. Hold a public meeting to accept comment on the Gibson Solar Farm Draft Environmental Impact Report for a Use Permit to construct and operate a large-scale solar energy generation system and battery storage facility that is proposed to locate on an approximately 147-acre parcel consisting of prime farmland, actively farmed and enrolled in the Williamson Act; and
2. Direct staff to return to a future duly noticed public hearing with the Planning Commission for a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, once a Final Environmental Impact Report has been prepared.

Project Background and Overview
Gibson Renewables, LLC is seeking a Use Permit to construct and operate an up to 20-megawatt alternating current (MWac, or MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generating facility with a 6.5 MWac/26 megawatt hour (MWh) to 13 MWAC/52 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) identified as the 'Gibson Solar Farm' (Project). The proposed Project would be located approximately 1.2 miles east of Esparto in an unincorporated area of Yolo County. The Applicant has been awarded a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Valley Clean Energy (VCE) for the purpose of pursuing procurement of cost-effective local renewable energy. The proposed Project will use photovoltaic (PV) modules mounted on single axis sun-tracking support structures to generate up to 20 MWac of renewable electrical energy. The electricity generated by the PV field will be used in part to charge the batteries, and the remaining energy generated by the PV field will be delivered to the grid. The batteries will discharge the stored energy during a 4-hour period providing 26 MWh of renewable energy. Electricity generated by the proposed Project will be sold to the local Community Choice Aggregator, Valley Clean Energy, and be interconnected to the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) electrical distribution system at the existing 21-kilovolt (kV) Madison Substation, located about 4,650 feet (0.88 mile) east of the proposed Project on County Road (CR) 89.

The proposed Project would be constructed on a 147.42-acre agriculturally-zoned parcel. Within that parcel, the PV modules themselves would cover approximately 34.4 acres, and the area used for access roads, equipment, and other fixtures would require another 5.5 acres. To minimize inter-row shading from the sun, the spacing between the parallel arrays would be approximately 14 feet, leaving more than 107 acres between the solar arrays available for use as a stable grassland/pollinator plant substrate. The proposed Project would be located on a parcel that is currently in agricultural production and is surrounded by orchards and field crops. The parcel is also currently enrolled in the Williamson Act under Agreement #71-206. A multi-use plan for the proposed Project site has been proposed to grow native plants that support pollinators, incorporate grazing, and host apiary at the site.

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Review
Planning staff and the County's consultant, Aspen Environmental Group, have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In Attachment A, you will find the Notice of Availability (NOA) prepared for the DEIR, pursuant to Section 15087 of the CEQA Guidelines, that was distributed on January 13, 2023. A copy of the Gibson Solar Farm DEIR, also published on the Planning Division's Current Projects webpage, is contained within Attachment B. Circulation of the DEIR will be available for public review for a 46-day period extending from January 13, 2023, to February 27, 2023, after which time the County will prepare the final EIR.  The County will consider the information in the EIR and the public comments when deliberating adoption of the Project. Following certification of the Final EIR and approval of the Project, other government agencies may rely on the EIR for CEQA compliance and/or tiering for Project elements.

The Project alternatives that were considered during the environmental assessment include:

• No Project Alternative
• Alternative Sites for the solar facility
• Intensive Agrivoltaics Alternative
• Distributed Energy Alternative: Rooftop/parking lot locations
• Reduced Footprint Alternative

Approval of the Project will require the following actions by the County:

• Certification of the Final EIR for the Project;
• Adoption of a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan (MMRP), Findings, and Statement of Overriding Considerations;
• Approval of the Use Permit, as well as other County permits such as Building and Grading Permits related to individual Project elements;
• Cancelation or non-renewal of the Williamson Act contract.

The DEIR analyzes impacts in the areas of Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Energy, Geology and Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Hydrology and Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population and Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities and Service Systems, and Wildfire. Significant impacts are identified to Agriculture.

NEXT STEPS
During public circulation of the DEIR, Planning staff anticipate attending one Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting with the Esparto CAC to accept additional public comments on the DEIR and receive a recommendation on the proposed Project.  Members and interested parties from the Madison CAC, which no longer has a quorum, will also be invited to attend. 

Once the DEIR has completed public circulation, Planning staff and Aspen Environmental will review all public comments and provide written responses that will be compiled in a Response to Comments document for preparation of a Final EIR. A public hearing will then be held with the Planning Commission for a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors taking into consideration the Final EIR and MMRP and other project elements, including the proposed Project's Conditions of Approval and Findings. Once the Planning Commission has made a recommendation, the Final EIR and proposed Project will be set for a public hearing with the Board of Supervisors for final action. The Board has final approval authority on large-scale solar energy system projects that occupy 120 acres or more of land.