Title
REF260015 - City of Monterey
Public hearing to consider whether installation of a commercial roof mounted & solar carport canopy grid-tied photovoltaic & battery storage systems is consistent with the 2019 Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) for Monterey Regional Airport.
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Monterey County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) find the proposed project (ALUC File No. REF260015) consistent with the 2019 Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCP) for Monterey Regional Airport.
PROPOSED PROJECT:
On April 28, 2026, the City of Monterey submitted an application (ALUC File No. REF260015) to ALUC staff requesting a consistency review of an installation of a commercial roof mounted & solar carport canopy grid-tied photovoltaic & battery storage systems, including a Variance requesting zero setback, placing the solar carport canopy at the property line. The commercial roof mount would be installed on the roof
of the existing medical office building at APN 259-181-004-000. The solar carport canopy would be installed along the south property line of APN 259-181-006-000 and would cover existing parking spaces that serve building patrons. The battery energy storage system would be located inside two 8’x20’ shipping containers which would be placed at APN 259-181-006-000 north of the building.
The project site is located at 23 Upper Ragsdale, Monterey, CA 93940, APN: 259-181-006-000 and 259-181-004-000. The City’s General Plan land use designation for the site is Employment, and the zoning designation is I-R-150-D2-ES (Industrial, Administration, and Research District with Development Control and Emergency Shelter overlays).
CONSISTENCY DETERMINATION ANALYSIS:
ALUC staff reviewed the City of Monterey’s referral in accordance with the adopted ALUCP for the Monterey Regional Airport, as discussed below.
NOISE COMPATIBILITY
The proposed project was reviewed for consistency with Table 4A and Exhibit 4B of the ALUCP (Noise Compatibility Criteria and Long-Range Noise Exposure Contours. Per this review, the entirety of the site is located outside of the 65-75 CENL contours and, therefore, is not expected to be exposed to loud airport noise and is considered a compatible use. Based on the above analysis, the proposed project is consistent with the Monterey Regional ALUCP, with regard to noise compatibility criteria, and no further conditions or requirements regarding noise are recommended.
AIRSPACE PROTECTION & HAZARDS TO FLIGHT
ALUCP Policy 4.2.3 addresses the objective of airspace protection to avoid the
development of land use conditions that would pose hazards to flight, such as airspace
obstructions, wildlife hazards, and land use characteristics that pose other potential hazards to flight by creating visual or electronic interference. The project site is located entirely inside the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 77 approach, horizontal, conical, and transitional surfaces for Monterey Regional Airport. Within Safety Zone 4, airspace review is required for objects greater than 70 feet. The proposed solar carport canopy and shipping containers would be 17 and 8.5 feet tall, respectively, and would not penetrate 14 CFR Part 77 surfaces as the height of the carport canopy would be approximately half the height of the existing nearby buildings and the shipping container would be approximately one quarter the height. Therefore, it is not anticipated that the proposed project will penetrate the Part 77 airspace surfaces
The solar panels and shipping containers would not include bright lights, sources of dust, smoke, water vapor, or produce any sources of electrical interference or thermal plumes, or create any increased attraction for wildlife or birds. However, solar panels are known to create potential glare and have reflective surfaces. Staff communicated this concern to the Applicant/Owner to ensure that the project would be consistent with ALUCP policies regarding hazards to flight and airspace protection. Here, the proposed solar panels would be tilted at a 10-degree angle to the south. This angle and direction would ensure that any reflecting glare is not directed at pilots arriving or departing MRY (east and west flight patterns). Further, as solar panels are intended to absorb light and not reflect it, the proposed panels would have a special light-absorbent coating that allows for more absorption of light and less glare. This effectively would ensure that the panels would produce minimal glare (ALUC-9).
Therefore, staff recommend the ALUC find that the project does not introduce a hazard to flight, such as glare, and is consistent with ALUCP policy 4.2.3.4. No further conditions regarding airspace protection are recommended. The proposed project does not conflict with the required airspace protection policies.
SAFETY COMPATIBILITY
The project site is entirely located within Safety Zone 4 (Airport Influence Area) as shown in ALUCP Exhibit 4C (Monterey Regional Airport Safety Zones). Safety Zone 4 is the second most permissible safety zone of the ALUCP. This Safety Zone allows for residential development at 1 dwelling unit per 2 acres, a maximum intensity of 150 persons per acre for non-residential land uses, and all development types, except schools and day care centers, hospitals, buildings with >3 aboveground habitable floors, hazards to flight, and highly noise-sensitive outdoor nonresidential uses. Therefore, the proposed commercial roof-mounted, solar carport canopy, and battery storage system component is project is an allowed use in Safety Zone 4.
The project is non-residential and therefore subject to the 150 person per 2 acre density limitation and 20% open space requirement of Table 4B. With a non-residential intensity limit of 150 people per 2 acres, there shall be no more than 396 people in total (4.48 acres). It is unlikely that an intensity exceeding 150 people per 2 acres would be reached, given the limited size and capacity of the existing facilities, as no new structures are proposed. The proposed parking lot would be occupied only by vehicles and would not be used as a gathering place. The project would also meet the minimum 20% open land requirement as no new structures are proposed. Therefore, the proposed project does not conflict with the required safety compatibility policies. Safety Zone 4 prohibits hazards to flight. As detailed above, staff believes that the project would not introduce hazards to flight. All exterior lighting is conditioned to be downlit (Condition No. ALUC-6). Lastly, the property owner shall record the Airport Disclosure Notice (Condition No. ALUC-1).
MONTEREY REGIONAL AIRPORT REVIEW:
On June 22, 2026, ALUC staff forwarded project information to Monterey Airport District (District) staff for review. District staff requested the Solar Installations applicant consider completing an evaluation of ocular impacts for the proposed system to ensure and confirm that pilots are not compromised by glare because of the location being on the final approach path for 28L and 28R at MRY Airport. ALUC staff informed district staff that the solar panels will be tilted at a 10-degree angle to the South, which will produce less glare that could potentially be emitted upwards towards the planes that are approaching from the East. These modern solar panels have an integrated special light absorbent coating that allows for more absorption of light and less refraction off the panel glass, producing minimal glare. With this information, District staff had no concerns or comments on this application. See Attachment C.
CONCLUSION:
Based on review and analysis of the proposed project, staff recommends that the ALUC find the proposed project consistent with the 2019 Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for Monterey Regional Airport.
The following attachments are on file with HCD:
Attachment A - Draft ALUC Resolution
Attachment B - City of Monterey Consistency Analysis Letter
Attachment C - MRY Comments
CC: ALUC Commissioners; ALUC Counsel; Monterey Peninsula Airport District (C. Morello); City of Monterey (Fernanda Roveri); Project Planner (Jack Sorensen); Fionna Jensen, Principal Planner; Agent (Fernanda Roveri); Applicant (Tyler Yager); ALUC File No. REF260015