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Several developers of wind turbine farms are considering building in the county, more specifically in the southwest, northwest and northern parts of Vermilion.
The 14-part ordinance creates a committee of local officials that would meet on a regular basis to review applications for placement and construction of wind turbines. On a case-by-case basis, the committee would recommend that the county board either grant or reject the building permit requests. All permits would have to be approved by the county board.
The members of the committee would be appointed by the county board chairman and would include the county highway engineer, a representative of the county health department, two members of the community and the state's attorney or an assistant state's attorney chosen by the state's attorney.
Todd Lee of Vermilion Advantage, which has been working with wind energy developers and county officials, said developers have towers around the county measuring wind speeds, are working out leases with landowners and are continuing to communicate with Vermilion Advantage and the county on the wind ordinance. Lee said the developers have received a copy of the proposed ordinance and had no concerns.
In counties that have countywide zoning, the placement and construction of wind farms are handled by the zoning body.
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Vermilion County committee focuses on plan for wind farms(11/18/08)
Vermilion County considers establishing wind farm rules(11/14/08)
But Vermilion County does not have countywide zoning. Instead, county officials are writing an ordinance that will specifically address placement and construction of wind turbines to protect the rights of residents and landowners and to stipulate expectations of the developers prior to their investment in the county.
According to the ordinance, the developer must submit to the committee comprehensive information, including a project summary, a site plan, studies, reports, certifications and more.
The ordinance also spells out many requirements for placement and construction.
- Turbines must be painted gray or another nonreflective, unobtrusive color, must have visible warnings for guy wires and electrical hazards, features that prohibit a person from climbing the towers and more.
- Towers must be set back at least 1,000 feet from a primary structure unless the owner of the building waives that requirement. But the ordinance requires that all towers must be set back from all primary structures at least 1.1 times the height of a tower. So, if a tower is 200 feet high, it must be set back at least 220 feet from all primary structures.
- Developers must enter into a road use and repair agreement with the county for repairing any damage to public roads during construction or maintenance.
Vermilion County Board member and attorney Bill Donahue has been spearheading the effort to write the county's ordinance, and the draft has been sent out to all board members to review before Monday's meeting.
On Monday, the board will have the opportunity to discuss the ordinance and bring up any concerns. Then, officials will put the ordinance on public display and work it into a final form before the county board's Jan. 20 vote.
Donahue said that normally the board doesn't place ordinances for public review, but in this case, officials believed it was necessary just to make sure everyone has ample opportunity to make comments.
Board meeting
The Vermilion County Board meets at 6 p.m. Monday on the second floor of the Vermilion County Courthouse Annex, 6 N. Vermilion St., Danville.
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