Homeowners who want a wind turbine on their property will need to have at least an acre of land, the West Des Moines City Council decided Monday.

That decision runs counter to a recommendation from the Plan and Zoning Commission last week to eliminate a lot size requirement for residential turbines that generate electricity.

"This is uncharted territory for us," Councilman Jim Sandager said. "We certainly can go back and review it. We wanted to err on being more conservative."

The council passed its first reading of the turbine ordinance on Monday. It will likely give final approval on Oct. 6.

Council members also agreed that turbines must be placed far enough away from property lines that they wouldn't fall into another person's property if knocked over by wind or a malfunction.

Aaron Chittenden, the city associate planner who crafted the ordinance, said that is the real limiting factor for residents, not lot size. Ron Thomas' lot is proof.

Thomas' rural home sits on more than an acre, but the lot is narrow and long, which limits how high he could build a turbine.

"The only issue I have is (that) to get to a consistent wind stream, we have to be 20 to 30 feet above other structures," said James McCain Jr., who sells the turbines in Des Moines.

McCain, who spoke on behalf of Thomas, asked the council to include a provision that would allow a resident to gain neighbors' permission to build a turbine that is taller than the ordinance would normally allow.

The council decided that the Board of Adjustment, which has the power to grant exceptions to city development code, should decide that on a case-by-case basis.

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.

The city is also in the process of creating an ordinance that would allow larger turbines on higher-density residential, commercial and industrial lots.