YORK - York officials have taken the first steps toward crafting wind turbine regulations.

At a Wednesday night Planning Commission work session, the five commissioners in attendance were unanimous in their support for regulations that would permit the use of wind turbines for generating electricity.

During the lengthy discussion, commissioners differed on how regulations should be applied, with some supporting turbines by right in certain areas, while others maintained a desire to have all proposals vetted on a case-by-case basis. They also differed on whether to allow special use consideration in every zoning district or just in selected areas.

Ultimately, the commissioners gave Planning Division staff instructions for crafting a proposed amendment to the county's zoning ordinance.

The framework includes proposals that wind turbines be approved only as accessory uses, meaning they can't be the primary structure on the lot, and that they be considered in most zoning districts, but only through a special-use permit process.

Their placement would also be allowed only behind primary structures, and setbacks from property lines would have to equal 100 percent of the turbine's height. No signage would be allowed.

Once a proposed amendment is completed, it will be brought to the Board of Supervisors, which would need to sponsor the amendment so it can be officially considered by the Planning Commission after a public hearing. Commissoners would then make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, which would hold a second public hearing before deciding whether to enact the rules.

In other business, commissioners were told a developer who has a stalled car-wash construction project at the corner of Oriana Road and Route 17 has until Monday to "stabilize" the property so unsightly erosion control measures can be removed, or the county would do the work at the developer's expense.

Commissioners were also told that a project to construct an IHOP restaurant farther north on Route 17 has also stalled, and its future is unclear.