Wind farm developers scramble to gain leases

SPANISH FORK — Developers of a proposed wind farm at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon were scrambling Monday to secure the necessary leases to move their project away from a residential neighborhood.

Since presenting an alternate site at a City Council meeting two weeks ago, employees at Wasatch Wind have been working to obtain the necessary leases to make the alternate proposal a reality.

"(The lease negotiations) went well and we're moving forward on that," Wasatch Wind president Tracy Livingston said. "We hope to have them done tomorrow (today)."

Livingston said one lease agreement, with Strawberry Water Users, was nearing completion Monday night. Another deal, with Baker/Parsons, also was progressing while a third deal, with the city of Spanish Fork, has been agreed on in principle. Livingston said he hoped to have all three in place before tonight's council meeting and planned to update residents on the company's progress.

Wasatch Wind began the process of obtaining city approval for a wind farm at the original site — at the mouth of the canyon on the north side — last year, and was well into the process and nearing the construction phase when residents of a nearby neighborhood began to protest.

Residents said the zoning ordinance in place, which would allow the 407-foot turbines to be built within 500 feet of homes, was inadequate.

After meeting with city leaders and concerned residents, Wasatch Wind representatives agreed to investigate other potential sites and identified one further up the canyon, on its south side behind the Fingerhut distribution center.

Moving the project, however, first required Wasatch Wind to sign lease deals with three different property owners in order to use the land. The company also will have to get the land annexed into Spanish Fork and properly zoned before beginning construction. Wasatch Wind estimates that process will cost $300,000, based on the money it has already spent going through those steps at the original site.

Livingston said city officials have been helpful and dedicated in securing a deal that suits the interests of all parties involved. And despite the hardship of starting over from scratch, he said his company is determined to build the project at the alternate site with hopes of having it operational by spring 2007.

"We want this wind farm to be a flagship model for everyone of how to build a wind farm in Utah," he said.

Members of a citizen committee met with Wasatch Wind last week for an update on the process and came away feeling cautiously optimistic.

"I would say everyone is fairly pleased with the compromises that have been made going forward," resident Aaron Fisher said. "It seems like all of their energies are focused on the up-canyon site, so we're sitting back with kind of a guarded but optimistic approach."

Fisher said Wasatch Wind agreed not to apply for a building permit at its original site, and residents in turn agreed not to prevent any construction with a legal injunction.

Residents have said they are done protesting the development if the lower site is no longer an issue. And Fisher said it appears the higher site may, in fact, be a better location for Wasatch Wind.

"We all feel like (the wind turbines) are going to be far enough away with the up-canyon site that our concerns go way down," Fisher said.