Twp. easing rules for residential windmills
The Tribune-Democrat|Kathy Mellott|March 6, 2010
The Portage Township supervisors are attempting to streamline the permitting process and reduce the local costs of having an on-lot residential or small-business wind turbine. A revamped ordinance based on an original statute adopted in 2005 will be advertised next week with plans for adoption in April, Supervisor Kenneth Trimbath said.
The Portage Township supervisors are attempting to streamline the permitting process and reduce the local costs of having an on-lot residential or small-business wind turbine. A revamped ordinance based on an original statute adopted in 2005 will be advertised next week with plans for adoption in April, Supervisor Kenneth Trimbath said.
PORTAGE - The Portage Township supervisors are attempting to streamline the permitting process and reduce the local costs of having an on-lot residential or small-business wind turbine.
A revamped ordinance based on an original statute adopted in 2005 will be advertised next week with plans for adoption in April, Supervisor Kenneth Trimbath said.
"We've been working on it for about a year," he said of the process, which included input from residents and a number of workshops.
Portage Township was one of the first in the region to adopt a residential ordinance on the heels of development of the commercial Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm, which is partially located in the township.
"A lot of small companies came through and tried to sell …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]PORTAGE - The Portage Township supervisors are attempting to streamline the permitting process and reduce the local costs of having an on-lot residential or small-business wind turbine.
A revamped ordinance based on an original statute adopted in 2005 will be advertised next week with plans for adoption in April, Supervisor Kenneth Trimbath said.
"We've been working on it for about a year," he said of the process, which included input from residents and a number of workshops.
Portage Township was one of the first in the region to adopt a residential ordinance on the heels of development of the commercial Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm, which is partially located in the township.
"A lot of small companies came through and tried to sell units to homeowners," township Solicitor C.J. Webb said Friday.
The original residential ordinance in many ways mirrored regulations enacted by Portage and other townships in the area prior to giving the go-ahead for development of the commercial Allegheny Ridge by Gamesa USA.
The ordinance enacted was later thought to have been overly difficult for homeowners to comply with, Webb said.
Supervisors have come to realize that many of the issues and concerns inherent with commercial wind turbines do not exist to the same extent when the power is consumed on the premises of a residence or small business, Trimbath said.
The revised version reduced the permitting fee from $500 to $75, and siting can be as close to the home or outbuildings as the property owner wishes, Trimbath said.
The structure height is limited to 100 feet and it must be far enough from the property line to ensure it will remain within the boundaries should it fall.
The size of the turbine is limited to 50 kilowatts. Any excess power cannot be sold.
"They would not be selling back to the (electric) grid so they would not be commercial in any way," Webb said.
The township does not expect to see a large number of people constructing such windmills, but apparently three or four have expressed interest, officials said.