DNV staff recommend project to council

A proposal to erect a 65-metre wind turbine near the peak of Grouse Mountain will be going before District of North Vancouver council Monday night.

If approved, the tower will be visible from much of North Vancouver and other parts of the Lower Mainland.

The 21-storey structure (34 storeys to the tip of the blade) is slated to begin operating at the top of Peak Mountain next to the Heaven's Sake ski run in 2009. It is expected to generate a fifth of Grouse Mountain Resort's energy needs -- enough to power 400 homes -- while at the same time educating the public about alternative energy.

But the plan has some residents concerned about esthetic impacts on the landscape.

"This tower is going to be huge," said Roger Goodwin, a North Vancouver resident who attended an information meeting Sept. 4. "I don't know if people are aware it's going to be an item up there when they look up at the mountains. . . . You'll see it from over in Vancouver."

Goodwin is worried that the meeting, which was attended by about 25 members of the public, did not get the word out to enough people. Much of the community might have concerns about the tower's impact on the visual appeal of the mountainscape and the backwoods behind it, he said.

But Grouse believes the project is a positive development for the mountain.

"The wind turbine will offset 20 per cent of our hydro needs," said William Mbaho, a spokesman for the company. "The structure will be a landmark and a symbol of our efforts to move towards a carbon-neutral footprint."

The company's perspective is shared by district staff, who gave the project their endorsement in a report to council Sept. 23.

"Staff are of the opinion that the risk (to the environment) is worthwhile given the potential benefits of generating that much clean energy," they wrote.

As for the esthetic impact, the mountain commissioned a number of third-party reports looking into that question. While the consultants concluded the structure could be seen from a great distance, it will not dominate the skyline, and its white colour should help it blend with the sky. District staff noted that a 40-metre meteorological tower that stood at the same site over the past year did not elicit any public outcry.

"For some hikers, adding a visible landmark may detract from their enjoyment of the back country," they wrote. "However, for others it may be an asset that helps provide a sense of direction."

Members of the public who attended the Sept. 4 consultation "appeared satisfied with the answers provided and applauded at the end of the meeting," according to the staff report.