CHARLESTOWN - Plans to develop a small wind farm on private property next to the Shelter Harbor Golf Club have been abandoned due to the unexpected death earlier this year of one of the principals of Green Machine Bio LLC, a local company that had proposed the project.

William Green of Westerly and his partner, Jack Johannemann, had received permission from the Zoning Board of Review to erect a test tower at 78 Ross Hill Road on property owned by John M. Rosa IV, with hopes of eventually constructing up to four wind turbines on the site. But Green passed away a few months ago and his family has indicated that no one will continue with the wind energy proposal, Assistant Town Solicitor Robert Craven told the Zoning Board of Review Tuesday night.

"They have no intention of pursuing this," Craven said.

The matter was before the Zoning Board on remand from a Superior Court judge, who decided in June, after learning of Green's death, to grant a request by the neighboring golf club to stay the Zoning Board's approval of a special use permit for a 197-foot test tower.

The Shelter Harbor Golf Club had filed suit against the Zoning Board for granting the permit last October.

In her June 22 order, Justice O. Rogeriee Thompson directed the Zoning Board to vacate its 5-0 decision granting the permit and to require that any request for future zoning approval for a similar project on the property go through a reapplication process, with proper notice and hearing.

Noting Thompson's order, Craven asked the board to vacate its decision, which it did, though one member, William Meyer opposed the action.

Meyer questioned the board's need to take any action at all, noting that the special use permit would have expired after six months time if no action had been taken on the project.

"Why are we taking it up at all?" Meyer asked.

In response, Craven said that the golf club had requested that the matter be permanently resolved, instead of being allowed to linger, which all of the parties agreed to when they appeared before Thompson in June.

"Shelter Harbor wants to close the door on this," Craven said.

Craven assured the board, in response to their questions, that the Westerly man who was going to allow the test wind turbine to be erected on his property has no legal rights in the matter.

A former Democratic Town Committee chairman, Rosa hoped to erect the small wind farm on a corner of his 33-acre commercial property as a way to keep his land mostly undeveloped and to provide a renewable source of energy.