Board hears opinions on wind farms
Comments (...)Advocates of wind energy urged the Ogle County Board last week to approve a zoning text amendment with less stringent rules for wind farms.
Jim Griffin, an attorney for the Ogle County Farm Bureau, told the board Jan. 17 that the regulations for wind farms recommended by the Supervisor of Assessments, Planning & Zoning Committee (APZ) are illegal.
"The APZ regulations deprive farmers of the right to use their land as they see fit for wind energy," he said.
He urged the board to instead vote for the less stringent regulations recommended by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).
The county board will vote on the text amendment at its Feb. 21 meeting.
Griffin was one of several people who addressed the board about the wind farm regulations at the meeting.
Dennis Probasco, Rochelle, disagreed with Griffin that the APZ recommendations would adversely affect property rights.
"Zoning protects property rights as much as it limits. And that is the purpose," he said.
Brian Duncan, president of the Ogle County Farm Bureau, questioned the APZ modifications in the text amendment being given precedence of the ZBA's changes, which he said are less restrictive.
He said the ZBA requires takes only sworn testimony, meaning anyone addressing them on the issue must be sworn in. The APZ does not require sworn testimony.
Dick Gambrel, Chana, however, said Duncan represents a special interest group.
Two representatives from wind energy companies told the board that the APZ recommendations would make it impossible in the future to have a wind farm in the county.
"The regulations will make it impossible to build wind farms in Ogle County," said Brad Lila, project manager from RES Americas, a company that is developing a wind project in southern Ogle County.
John Martin, from Mainstream Renewable Power, said the APZ restrictions on noise, setbacks, and shadow flicker constitute a "wind ban" in the county.
Zoning Administrator Mike Reibel said Tuesday that county officials have been working on developing the new text amendment governing wind farms for nearly two years.
The ZBA recommended modifications to the original text amendment, he said, and the APZ made additional modifications.
The county board, he said, has several options to choose from in making their decision next month.
"The ordinance is written to adopt the APZ recommendations. They can adopt that, reject it, or make modifications of their own," Reibel said.
He said the board could choose to stay with the original ordinance or adopt the ZPA recommendations.
The county board's action could end a moratorium on wind farms that began in April of 2010. The moratorium, which expires on Feb. 29, has been extended numerous times.
Any new restrictions will not apply to the Baileyville Wind Farm, which was granted a special use permit by the county board in 2005 for a wind farm in Maryland and Leaf River Townships.
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