Requested ordinance change will have a public hearing
A proposal to amend Winthrop’s Westernization ordinance will first go before the town’s Planning Commission for a hearing and recommendation, meaning the request won’t be back in front of the Town Council for several weeks.
The council followed the ordained procedure for an ordinance revision at its meeting last week, after hearing more audience commentary on a proposal to allow solar panel arrays on building roofs that are visible from anywhere but Highway 20 within the W-3 business district.
As it did at an earlier council meeting, the proposed revision had its vocal proponents as well as passionate critics.
The W-3 district generally extends along both sides of Highway 20 south of the Methow River bridge. Currently, the Westernization ordinance would allow solar arrays if they were not visible from Highway 20, but prohibits solar installations if they could be viewed from a public right-of-way such the Susie Stephens Trail or adjacent town streets.
The town’s Westernization Design Review Board had earlier reviewed the request and unanimously recommended that the council reject the ordinance amendment proposal.
But before the council can formally consider the request, it must go through the Planning Commission review process.
The ordinance was substantially updated with council approval in May 2017 after two prolonged years of discussions, hundreds of hours of volunteer work, multiple revisions, several public meetings and a host of detailed responses to suggested changes.
The requested change originated with a plan by Little Star Montessori School to install a solar array on the roof of its new building off of White Avenue. The array would not be visible from Highway 20.
Ellen Lamiman and Cara Godwin, who are requesting the ordinance change, have argued that a revision to allow less-restricted use of solar panels could benefit several property owners in the W-3 district. They asked the council to consider forwarding the proposed change to the Planning Commission.
More comments
During the audience commenting part of last week’s council meeting, several people spoke to the proposal.
Rita Kenny, owner of Winthrop Mountain Sports, said she supports Westernization but it should be subject to review. “We can never write that ordinance and draw a line in the sand and never change,” she said, adding that “the heart of the ordinance should remain the same.” She said allowing solar “is not necessarily a bad thing.”
Bryan Drye pointed out that there are other places in Winthrop where solar can be installed without seeking an ordinance change. “No one is anti-solar,” he said, but added that “it seems reasonable to have some restrictions.”
“Should organizations or individuals be allowed to ignore the rules?” he asked.
Approving the ordinance amendment could put the council in a difficult position in the future, Drye said. People may ask, “If Little Star can rewrite the code, why can’t I,” he said.
“Little Star knows that the town council is the weak link in the process,” Drye said, alluding to several occasions in the past when previous councils had rejected Westernization board recommendations.
Ardis Bynum said that Westernization is key to Winthrop’s success and that solar panels don’t belong in zones that fall under Westernization guidelines. “There are other appropriate locations,” she said.
Erik Brooks supported the solar proposal and warned against “a fixed mindset versus the ability to look at issues as they come along.”
Lauri Martin, owner of Robins Egg Bleu and a member of the Westernization Design Review Board, said that “as things progress around us, Westernization makes us more special over time.”
“If I didn’t want to comply … I would have located somewhere else,” she said of the ordinance proposal.
Andy McConkey said he could not imagine a scenario in which visitors would decide to avoid Winthrop because they might see solar panels. He said that while a solar prohibition might make sense in the heart of the town, solar should be an option in other parts of Winthrop.
What about enforcement?
John Hayes, whose late wife Rayma founded Little Star, said that “the way this came about is really wrong … you have laws and regulations. If you’re going to question it, you don’t question it with an ordinance change.”
“A well-meaning parent who is pro-solar got Little Star people to back him and push it,” Hayes continued. “If Little Star wants solar panels, it should go through the normal process … Little Star has to abide by the same rules as everyone else.”
Brian Sweet, co-owner of Cascades Outdoor Store and a member of the Westernization board said that he and his wife, Amy — who together also own other property in downtown Winthrop — embraced Westernization when they built their outdoor wear store. “We participated fully and enthusiastically,” he said. As for the board’s review and update of the Westernization code, “it’s not like we didn’t think about it [solar] … It was addressed.”
“We all know this is for Little Star,” he added, noting that it’s not surprising that “a vocal proponent who can rally people.” He pointed out that the Westernization board gets requests all the time for changes.
Kristen Smith, a Westernization board member who is also marketing director for the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce and Methow Trails, said the board is made up of people with a lot of public service experience. “We spent years of our lives on this,” she said. Smith suggested that “it doesn’t apply to me … was Little Star’s position from the beginning. This [proposal] is a rewrite to get it approved.”
“When is a law a law?” she asked the council. “It’s not a law when you allow exceptions.”
Michael Strauss of the Methow Valley Wellness Center commended the Westernization board’s efforts, and said that a reasonable change “won’t belittle the work you have done.”
Lamiman said she is not affiliated with Little Star, and that the solar request is in the form of an ordinance change because there is no variance process. Godwin also said she is not affiliated with Little Star. She and Lamiman said that many other property owners in the W-3 zone could benefit from less-restrictive rules for solar arrays.
Mayor Sally Ranzau reiterated that, contrary to what some solar proponents have charged, “the town and the Westernization board are not against solar … it’s a matter of being visible and complying with the code.”
A Planning Commission hearing would likely be scheduled in April. The council had earlier agreed to an informal but public meeting with the Westernization board to talk about issues. That meeting was tentatively planned for Wednesday (March 14), but was postponed.
