The Pulaski County Commissioners are recommending some additional language for the county’s proposed ban on wind turbines. On Monday, the commissioners voted to send a list of amendments to the advisory plan commission. It was drawn up for the commissioners by Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer.
While large-scale commercial wind turbines would still be banned, the recommended changes would allow landowners to build noncommercial and micro wind energy convergence systems, in certain circumstances. “We set up rules that actually guide those in place, and they’re a hair stricter than they were currently, without getting as strict as they may have been,” Origer explained. “But it addresses all the stuff that we had gone into the original plan commission public hearing thinking we would’ve addressed.”
For noncommercial wind turbines, the proposed language would require a minimum setback of 1.5 times the turbine’s overall height from the property line. The structures would also have to be at least six miles from the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area and one mile from the Tippecanoe River. In most zones, turbine construction would still require a special exception from the board of zoning appeals. Micro wind turbines would have fewer restrictions, though.
The new language also attempts to provide more legal justification for banning commercial wind farms. It cites potential impacts on “the health, safety, and general welfare” of Pulaski County residents, along with property values. It also notes the potential threat posed to sandhill cranes and other flying animals, and the effect that might have on tourism.
Additionally, the commissioners’ amendments specify how the new wind turbine regulations would actually be incorporated into the larger Unified Development Ordinance, outlining what language would need to be added, replaced, or removed.
The plan commission will now either accept or deny the commissioners’ recommendations. The proposed wind turbine regulations will then go back to the county commissioners for a final decision.
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