Albert Lopez
Planning Director
Planning

Current Development Projects


Brookfield Renewable Energy Group, CUP Application No. PLN2015-00128, Meteorological Masts

Brookfield Renewable Energy Group, LLC applied (July 2015) for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to construct five meteorological equipment towers (i.e., remote testing facilities or METs) to measure the wind regime on four parcels owned by Mulqueeney ranch family for planned future wind energy development (repowering of previously developed wind energy facilities). The masts would include four 60-meter (197 feet) towers and one 80-meter (262.5 feet) tower, to be operated for one to three years. A separate application will be required for repowering activities, the timing of which will depend upon the measurements resulting from the MET masts.

The CUP application is for only five MET masts, which while subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA, 1970 as amended), is consistent with the Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) certified by the East County Board of Zoning Adjustments on November 12, 2014. The proposal is therefore reviewed as a tiered project with a checklist pursuant to Section 15168(c) of CEQA Guidelines. The checklist identified a range of specific potential adverse impacts on the environment, which had been previously identified in the PEIR, and for which specific mitigation measures would serve to avoid or reduce those impacts to less-than-significant levels. Based on the checklist, a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program has been proposed, the implementation of which would be required as a condition of approval.

A public hearing was held on August 27, 2015 before the East County Board of Zoning Adjustments to consider the approval of the project, and the project was approved subject to conditions as set forth in Resolution Z-15-26.

Staff Report, Resolution and CEQA Documents

Staff Contacts

Sandra Rivera, Assistant Deputy Director
(510) 670-6526

Andrew Young, Project Planner
(510) 670-5400