Life by the seaside

[mme_hardy]

Power can be chancy up here, what with high winds and wildfires. We'd like to install a generator. The local electrical contractors sent a request for a permit to the planning department. They got back:

Your building permit application was referred to the Planning Division of Mendocino County Planning and Building Services for approval. Please be advised that the Planning Division is not able to approve your building permit at this time. The proposed Propane/Generator installation does not meet the criteria for an exemption. The project site is designated as Highly Scenic and Coastal Development Permit is required.

Not gonna lie, it is Highly Scenic. It'll be interesting to see if there's a way to hide the generator that complies with the planning board's esthetics, or whether it's simply a no-go.

Comments

[movingfinger]

There are similar issues here (I have not personally faced them). A fence may be acceptable as screening, particularly if plantings mask the fence. Underground installation, in an area that gets occasional torrential rain, is probably not great for the generator, but might work for the tank. And put the generator on the side of the house least visible to others, I guess, although that may be difficult. Modern generators are not very obtrusive and the noise is more of a problem than the footprint.

[mme_hardy]

I'm guessing, given the disastrous history of old oil tank leaks, that the seaside commission will be very unhappy about burying it. We'll see. The current (presumably grandfathered in) propane tank is right beside the house and is quite ugly.

Could be worse; I could be living in Concord.

[movingfinger]

I wouldn't approve a diesel generator myself, but aboveground propane in a fire zone isn't desirable either...