51黑料

That spurred a question from one of the children: Why can鈥檛 we have solar panels on our new house in Wildwood?

It鈥檚 a question that has confounded Wood and many fellow residents of this sprawling municipality in west 51黑料 County.

Last September, Wood filed for a permit to install solar panels on his roof. In Wildwood, if the panels are to face a street, a permit is required. Wood lives on a corner adjacent to two cul-de-sacs. Nearly every part of his roof faces the street.

Wood was denied his permit. He was hardly alone. In June, I wrote about Tom Downey, who also was denied a permit for solar power. He has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, suggesting its anti-solar policies are violating his personal property rights.

Not long after Downey filed for his permit, Glenn Scott, who lives in the same neighborhood, filed for one also. He, too, was denied. The men are part of a growing group of homeowners who are challenging Wildwood Mayor Jim Bowlin and the city council. At issue is a policy that stops homeowners from improving energy efficiency in their homes and qualifying for tax credits that are meant to encourage the development of solar power.

鈥淚 never in a million years imagined it would be so difficult to add solar to my house,鈥� Scott says.

All three solar projects, and several others in Wildwood, have been in limbo for months, as the planning and zoning department and the city council have debated the issue. Bowlin proposed new regulations that would have 鈥� according to the homeowners and solar experts 鈥� virtually banned front-facing solar power in the city. The proposed regulations would allow a much more expensive form of solar that in many cases would require replacing entire roofs.

Around the time Downey sued, Bowlin planned to survey Wildwood residents to see what they think. This week, the homeowners got good news.

The city hasn鈥檛 yet publicized the findings of the survey, but local solar-power advocate Frances Babb obtained it in a Sunshine Law request. Babb lives in nearby Clarkson Valley and has been helping the residents. She and her husband successfully sued their municipality several years ago for the right to install solar. She was a key voice behind a law passed by the Missouri Legislature last year making it illegal for homeowners associations to block residents from installing solar panels.

The survey is clear: Wildwood residents are in favor of street-facing solar. And it鈥檚 not even close.

鈥淲ildwood residents support allowing roof-mounted solar panels facing the street at a margin of nearly 2 to 1,鈥� says the survey.

In every question asked, in every ward in the city, residents supported solar energy in various forms 鈥� even if it鈥檚 on the roof facing the street.

Wood, Scott, Downey and others cheered the results. They hope it prompts Bowlin and his allies on the council to back down.

鈥淩ather than acting on a pending ordinance which would effectively ban street facing solar panels, the city should instead remove the conditional use permit process for roof mounted solar panels,鈥� Wood said in an email. 鈥淭his would be in better alignment with residents鈥� views on solar and with the recently passed state law, which restricts homeowners associations from blocking installation based on aesthetics.鈥�

Asked about the survey results, Bowlin told me in an email that he 鈥渋s committed to having regulations that reflect the wishes of our residents.鈥�

When I asked if that meant previous denials of front-facing solar projects would be overturned, he said those denials are 鈥渘ot inconsistent鈥� with the survey results.

Scott sees the survey result as a 鈥渕andate鈥� from residents in a conservative community who believe in personal property rights. He hopes the city council takes a close look at the survey, as well as leaders in other municipalities who may be considering regulations on solar panels. He also hopes the survey can help jumpstart his own project.

鈥淚鈥檓 OK with people making mistakes,鈥� Scott says. 鈥淏ut let鈥檚 own it and correct it.鈥�