Wind turbines may soon be allowed on West Des Moines residential properties, but proposed requirements would severely limit where in the city they could be located.

Under the proposal, only lots that are an acre or larger are eligible, which disqualifies a majority of residential property. A recent Iowa Realty property search showed that there were 14 acreages or lots for sale in West Des Moines that were large enough. That compares with more than 400 properties for sale in total in the city.

In the coming weeks, the city's Plan and Zoning Commission and City Council will hammer out the requirements for the alternative energy source. The Plan and Zoning Commission meets Wednesday.

West Des Moines, which has made environmentally friendly development a priority, is among the first cities in the area to move forward on the issue.

"Nationwide, this is coming up on cities' radar screens," said Aaron Chittenden, an associate planner for West Des Moines. "Here, it really came about over the last year or so. We started to sporadically receive inquires from people who wanted to know if they could do this on their property."

That includes Ron Thomas, whose rural home was annexed into West Des Moines last year. He said concerns about long-term energy security drove him to find an alternative source of electricity.

"As a society we're going to have to do something," he said. "We don't want to wait until we're in a pinch."

Thomas was instrumental in moving the idea forward, but he said the proposed restrictions in the city's draft ordinance may preclude him from building a wind turbine on his property. Thomas lives on more than an acre, but the lot is long and narrow. The ordinance currently calls for turbines to be built away from property lines a distance equal to 110 percent of the turbines' total height. That's not a problem lengthwise for Thomas, but his 110-foot-wide lot would limit a turbine's height significantly.

Chittenden said the city must find a delicate balance.

"We're trying to respect the wishes and desires of residents, but we must also have some protection for neighbors as well," he said.

"The government really has a lot of work to do," said James McCain, Jr., who sells the turbines in Des Moines. "They realize we need to find different avenues of creating energy and sustainable living. We really act like we're the only people who are going to live on this planet during the next 1,000 years."

McCain, a business associate of Thomas, said cities in general err too much on the side of caution.

"The cities really don't allow us to put towers up that will get into a consistent wind stream," he said. "You have to be up above the trees."