LAFAYETTE -- The City Council got its first look this week at a proposed solar project on the BART station parking lot, and council members generally like what they see.
The project will cover about 350 parking spaces with shade structures topped by solar panels, which in turn will power parts of the BART system.
BART representative Frank Schultz showed the council photo simulations of the structures and gave an update on the project.
The transit agency has installed solar panels at facilities in Hayward and Richmond, but the Lafayette project would be the first at a station.
BART chose the Lafayette station because its parking lot receives plenty of sun and the agency has no plans for transit-oriented development on the site, Schultz said. In addition to providing shade to commuters, the canopies will also reduce light pollution at night.
BART made design changes in response to community input. A final design will be brought back to the Lafayette council before the BART board approves it, Schultz said. If the BART board OKs the project, he added, the panels could be up by mid-2012.
Council members said they support the project and encouraged BART to develop a signature design for its first solar carport project.
"I think BART's going to benefit because you've come to a community that does have a great sense of design," said Councilman Brandt Andersson.
The Happy Valley Improvement Association, which represents
residents in the neighborhood northwest of the station, earlier this month wrote BART supporting the solar project but suggested a number of aesthetic changes, such as using earth tone paint colors.
"It's really been broadly accepted, and we'd just like to see when it's all done, people say, 'Wow, it's great,'" association Vice President Byrne Mathisen said Tuesday.
BART is also exploring a solar project in Orinda that would cover about 40 parking spaces. A larger proposal at that station, which sits in the middle of the downtown, was put on hold while the city continues to discuss the area's future.
Contact Jonathan Morales at 925-943-8048. Follow him at Twitter.com/sosaysjonathan .
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