Ordinance would make it easier to put clean-energy sources on some properties.

Windmills eventually could generate renewable power in environmentally safe ways in specific regions of the township under an ordinance the Township Committee will vote on this month.

In November, municipal officials tabled the introduction of a windmill-related ordinance after a member of the Sourland Mountain Planning Council voiced concerns about the impact of the windmills on some endangered species and plants in the region.

While Steve Bales, also a township resident, is a proponent of renewable energy, he asked Township Committee members to amend the language of the ordinance to reflect better ways to preserve the Sourland Mountain region.

Council members did just that and introduced a new version of the ordinance Tuesday. The measure is up for public review and a possible vote Dec. 26.

"We revised the ordinance in terms of criteria so it now reflects environmental issues," said Committeeman Paul Drake, who initially introduced the plan. "We maybe did not appropriately address the Sourland Mountain" in the original ordinance, he added.

The ordinance permits small windmill systems to be developed on specified tracts of land of at least 10 acres. The goal is to establish a renewable energy source for the township that will reduce greenhouse gases contributing to global warming.

The revised ordinance now indicates a Wildlife Habitat Assessment report must be prepared by the applicant, specifically addressing wildlife habitat affected by the installation of a windmill.

The report also will address the Sourland Mountain Special Resource Area, the state Department of Environmental Protection's Landscape Project and impacts to habitats that indicate the presence of threatened or endangered species. Efforts to reduce or minimize the impacts would be enforced, according to the revised ordinance.

"I want to thank the Township Committee ... for taking into account the considerations," Bales said during Tuesday's meeting. "The language and amendments are appropriate."

Small-wind energy

The concept allows for small windmill systems built on large tracts of land in the township's agricultural, mountain and corporate development zones, as well as in the cultural landscape zone, which spans a portion of the Duke Estate.

The minimum 10-acre lot size prevents the windmills from being built in residential neighborhoods, Drake said. The windmill systems would be less than 100 kilowatts, a maximum of 100 feet high and placed away from property lines at a minimum distance of about one-and-a-half times the height of the windmill.

The proposed ordinance calls for anyone wanting to build the windmill to appear before the township's Planning Board with photo simulations, showing how the systems would look on landscapes so the placement is viewed in the context of the entire viewshed -- an area of land, water and other environmental elements that is visible from a fixed vantage point -- to determine if it is compatible, he said.

The idea would be added to an existing approved ordinance, which calls for solar panels to harness energy from the sun. Drake had introduced that ordinance to allow solar energy systems about two years ago.

"The creation of the small-wind energy system ordinance supplements the ordinance we created two years ago that supports the installation of solar photovoltaic energy in all zones throughout the township," Drake said. "Renewable energy technology is advancing at a rapid pace."

Drake noted that renewable sources such as wind and solar energy are able to transfer the energy from the sun directly into a usable form without the resultant pollution byproducts.

"This ordinance will enable these (farm) landowners to install small-wind energy systems for their own energy needs," Drake said. "After all, windmills have been used on farms in Hillsborough for over 200 years. The ordinance also responds to the siting and habitat concerns for wildlife and specifically to the uniqueness of the Sourland Mountain by allowing the Planning Board to require the careful siting of small-wind energy systems to avoid or mitigate these impacts."

Uses for the measure

Few people can deny the price of gasoline and home heating oil has increased drastically recently. And the price of energy is going to continue to rise in proportion to demand unless the township is able to offset this rise through renewable sources on a global scale, Drake said.

As a result, Hillsborough is taking small steps to meet energy needs through innovative approaches, such as the small-wind energy systems, potential creation of solar farms and a renewable energy research and development business incubator.

Drake said that once the ordinance is approved, Hillsborough can lead the state in supporting the use of it and investment by the private sector in its research and development.

Municipal officials envision a 50-acre research and development zone to be created on the 438-acre General Service Administration-Belle Mead Depot property.

Last year, the township bought the former Army warehouse facility, in the southern portion of the township, jointly with Somerset County for $17.5 million.

Officials also envision the possibility of a recreational complex being developed on the remaining 388 acres of the property, which Drake said could be powered by renewable energy such as a solar-and-wind farm.

Another location suitable for the windmill measure is at the Sunnymeade Road landfill property, Drake said.

"That would make an ideal location for a private company to invest in the creation of a solar farm," Drake said.

The Sunnymeade Road landfill was a municipal landfill that was closed in 1982 but was neither capped nor had a Department of Environmental Protection-approved closure plan, Hillsborough Clerk and Business Administrator Kevin Davis has said. The cost of capping, the closure plan and long-term monitoring is projected at $1.7 million, and a brownfields grant could help defray some of that cost, Davis said.

In the original plans, township officials had envisioned transforming the landfill into a park. A brownfields grant could reimburse 75 percent of the cleanup cost if the land is used for parks or recreation, Davis said. Bob Zelly of Maser Consulting is currently working with the township's Engineering Department to develop a cost-benefit analysis about the property's future use.

In addition, Drake said the township's energy needs for its district schools and running municipal functions could easily be offset through an innovative power-purchase agreement by turning to the sun.

"This could save the township's taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in utility bills," Drake said. "As the price of energy continues to outpace the ability of municipalities and homeowners to afford it, we need to be able to make strategic investments in the types of renewable-energy systems that make both economic and environmental sense."

Easing Concerns

Some township residents turned out to Tuesday's meeting to voice concerns over the windmill plan, and municipal officials made further changes to the ordinance to meet those needs.

"I do have a concern over the setback," said Laura Burshnic, a township resident. "I think 180 feet is just a little too close. I wouldn't want to look out my window and see that. It would be an eyesore."

The Township Committee then changed the ordinance to reflect a windmill having a 250-foot setback from property lines, easements or utility lines.

When another resident argued her property is only eight acres and surrounded by open space -- not the 10-acre minimum for the windmill -- Drake assured her the township's Planning Board would review all applications and decide if a variance is needed.

"That's something the Planning Board in its deliberations could consider," Drake said. "You wouldn't want to see windmills popping up in (high density) residential properties."

Committeeman Bob Wagner also addressed abandoned or broken-down windmills on properties for a long period of time. Wagner said 18 months seemed like a long time before the township's zoning officer would issue a notice of abandonment. Then, the owner would have 30 days to respond to the notice from the date of the receipt.

"I think there definitely needs to be an enforcement," Wagner said. "Technically, you could have something sitting there for 22 months."

The Township Committee then voted to approve changing the period of abandonment from 18 to 12 months.

According to the township's planning department, residents who want to build the system on their properties now -- prior to the ordinance being approved -- will have to go before the Board of Adjustment for approval. Currently, without the ordinance in place, there is no provision to allow windmills, so interested residents would need variance approval.

With the proposed ordinance, the use of windmills would become a permitted use and the interested landowner would then appear before the township's Planning Board and possibly have more leeway, Drake added.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann can be reached at (908) 707-3155 or psroka@c-n.com.