York County will consider allowing wind turbines in neighborhoods.

YORK - Want to reduce your electric bill? Maybe you should consider a turbine.

That's what the Planning Commission will consider during a work session next week on whether York County should create a zoning ordinance allowing wind turbines in neighborhoods.

"We're looking at it because we received a couple of requests from citizens who were interested in installing wind turbines on their property, and we had to tell them the zoning ordinance does not provide for them," explained York planner Timothy Cross.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, small windmills cost $6,000 - $22,000 installed and take 6-15 years to recoup the investment from electricity savings, so there's little fear of them lining the street.

Wind power gained prominence when billionaire T. Boone Pickens pushed massive wind farms a few years ago. Opponents argue that winds are unreliable and that large wind farms have devastated some bird populations during migration. A wind farm eyed off the Eastern Shore of Virginia has been opposed as dangerous to birds.

Cross said the Planning Commission's focus will be residential use, although they could consider allowing turbines in commercial zoning districts.

He said commercial windfarms is beyond the "scope" what the Planning Commission will discuss.

The inquiries for turbines arose from homeowners in Dandy and Seaford. Those two areas, along with Dare and York Point, have been identified as areas in the county with the best wind, typically from the east coming off the Chesapeake Bay.

Planning staff suggest proceeding slowly. "The lack of any first-hand, real-world experience with wind turbines anywhere in the region probably calls for a cautious approach," one document cautions.

Cross has key questions for the Planning Commission.

* Should small wind energy systems be allowed in the first place?

* If so, should permission be by-right or with a special use permit?

* Which residential zoning districts should qualify?

The sound of a residential turbine is said to range from that of a flapping flag to a whirring refrigerator, depending on the size. The larger issue for neighbors may be height.

According to planning documents, towers on small turbines typically range 80-100 feet tall as a monopole or lattice structure, with two- or three-bladed turbines spanning 2-15 feet. By comparison, the blades on the recently defunct Robertson's Windmill in Colonial Williamsburg were 26 feet.

Four jurisdictions in Virginia have windmill ordinances that York planners will scrutinize.

Halifax and Rockingham limit turbines to agricultural zones. Halifax has no maximum height, while Rockingham limits them to 65 feet on parcels under 5 acres. Larger tracts can have windmills that extend 80 feet.

Suffolk and Virginia Beach have more relaxed ordinances that allow windmills in residential and commercial districts. Suffolk permits a height of 120 feet, while Virginia Beach allows unlimited heights with a special use permit.

All four localities impose setback requirements as well. They also require that turbines be removed after 1-3 years of discontinued use.

Planning documents offer three possible options for York:

* Permit windmills in all single-family neighborhoods by special use permit.

* Permit them by right up to the maximum allowed building height in single-family neighborhoods. Require a special use permit, special exception or administrative exemption for towers over the height limit.

* Permit towers up to 100 feet by right in rural residential and resource conservation districts and with a special use permit in all other single-family districts.

Want to go? The Planning Commission will hold a work session at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, in York Hall at 301 Main St. in Yorktown.