Portsmouth dispute over right to reject solar panels in historic district heats up

PORTSMOUTH — The City Council agreed to send a proposed ordinance change aimed at removing the Historic District Commission’s power to review proposed solar arrays to the Planning Board for its feedback.

City Councilor Beth Moreau, who is a longtime member of the Planning Board, added an amendment to the motion to request the board hold a work session with the HDC to discuss the proposed change.

The City Council this week voted unanimously to approve the amended motion, which was made by City Councilor Josh Denton as part of an effort by him and City Councilor Rich Blalock to eliminate the HDC’s power to approve or reject solar arrays in Portsmouth’s downtown historic district.

Mayor Deaglan McEachern said any proposed changes to the city’s zoning ordinance must go to the Planning Board for feedback and recommendations.

It will be up to the Planning Board to see if the council will meet with the HDC to discuss the issue, McEachern said.

Fighting climate change

Denton and Blalock have been pushing for the change in the HDC’s rules after the commission recently voted to reject two proposed solar arrays.

The two councilors, along with other residents, believe solar arrays should be allowed in the historic district as a way to help address the environmental challenges Portsmouth is facing because of climate change.

Blalock, who is the council’s representative to the HDC, pointed out its current guidelines state solar arrays shouldn’t be “viewable from the front of the house.”

He maintained decisions by the HDC about whether a solar panel should be approved have “been left up to interpretation.”

“The times we are in now with climate change, I think we’ve all witnessed the weather we’ve witnessed this week alone,” Blalock said. “We’ve had floods, we’ve had blizzards, we’ve had everything in between.”

“I think now is the time to start acting on this climate change,” Blalock said, making an appeal for less use of fossil fuels by making it easier for residents to convert to solar power.

He said the main reason the HDC was created was to prevent historic “structures from being knocked down.”

“I do not think it was created so the asphalt shingles on someone’s house remain visible and we protect those over making decisions to fight our climate change,” he said during this week’s council meeting. “I just think the time is now, I think this has become an issue that the council needs to address.”

Blalock reported several residents have reached out to him to ask why some people do not like seeing solar panels in the historic district.

“I don’t know why seeing solar panels in the Historic District bothers some people, I don’t understand that, but I don’t feel the same way,” Blalock said. “And a lot of our residents don’t feel the same way.”

Denton contended “homeowners seeking to mitigate climate change by placing solar on their homes should not be required to go before a review board if it is not required by law.”

City Councilor Andrew Bagley pointed out power lines, telephone poles and “all sorts of modern conveniences,” are allowed in the historic district.

He stated a neighbor of his who lives in the historic district has solar panels on his house.

“I love seeing that, it means our community is taking a step against climate change. It means a better future for my daughter,” Bagley said. “I don’t see these as a disadvantage, I see these as an improvement.”

More Portsmouth news: Ex-police officer pleading guilty to embezzling

Flooding threats in Portsmouth

McEachern said he believes there’s a “lot of conviction in Portsmouth” to address the impacts of climate change.

“I would say that coming out of the Connie Bean (over the weekend) and seeing a foot of water outside the middle school was eye opening to me,” McEachern said. “I think that there is a lot of collective will to act on this. … I think we’ve made our point relatively clear that we want action on this.”

Department of Public Works Director Peter Rice told the council that in addition to the flooding on Parrott Avenue near the middle school, there was extensive flooding and water damaged at the city-owned Prescott Park and various homes along Marcy Street.

More: Portsmouth flooding 'stark reminder' of climate change. Solutions could be costly.

Reservations about removing HDC's power on solar panels

City Councilor Vince Lombardi continued to raise concerns about the proposed rules change.

“When you buy a property within the Historic District, you understand that a part of the value of that property belongs to the community,” Lombardi, who previously served on and chaired the HDC, said. “If you make changes to the defining character of the house … it diminishes the value belonging to the community.

“I believe that solar panels could have this effect, that is why I think leaving the design of a solar array on historic houses up to the people selling them is problematic,” Lombardi said.

He added that the HDC “is the only body that has the aesthetic view that can protect that value for the community.”

He supports “ a collaboration with the HDC, Planning Board and the Planning Department, to create guidelines for the HDC and Planning Board on this issue.”

“I think that because there is no one in the Planning Department and no one on the Planning Board with experience in architectural historic preservation,” he said. “It would be important to bring someone in with such background to consult with this process.”

HDC Chair Reagan Ruedig said she’d "love to see the HDC, the Planning Board and the Planning Department come together an actually have a discussion, maybe several discussions.”

“I think we can do better than just the promotion of solar panels,” she told the council.

“There are many ways we can properly encourage energy efficiency in historic buildings. Perhaps even get an expert to come in and help us rewrite our guidelines so we can actually do a better job with this, and not risk any sort of threats to our Historic District,” she added.

Residents weigh in on the issue

Joan Jacobs of Sagamore Avenue told the council she supports the initiative launched by Denton and Blalock.

“I believe the City Council should do whatever it can to encourage installation of solar panels in homes, city properties, and local businesses,” she said. “Clean energy will help lower greenhouse gases in our locality.”

New Castle Avenue resident Elizabeth Blaisdell also supports the idea.

“Moving to clean energy technologies is essential for preserving our city's rich history well into the future,” she said. “Allowing solar in the HDC is consistent with our city's climate action plan, and it's move to community energy. The HDC has been inconsistent in how they approve and reject these proposals.”

“There are plenty of historic communities around the country and world that encourage solar panel deployment,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth NH solar panels dispute heats up