Green forms of energy are on everybody’s mind these days as more and more people look for ways to save money or save the planet.
In light of alternative energy’s rising popularity, the Oxford Township Planning Commission last week recommended approval of a zoning ordinance amendment designed to regulate Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS), commonly known as windmills or wind turbines.
‘It’s good that the community is being proactive and supporting this type of energy,? said Brian Oppmann, of Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Inc., the Ann Arbor-based planner that helped draft the ordinance. ‘Now, hopefully, somebody will want to do it.?
The township board must now conduct a first and second reading of the amendment before voting on it.
According to Oppmann, there are ‘very few? communities that have an ordinance dealing with wind energy devices.
?(Oxford would) probably one of the first in Oakland County to have it,? he said. ‘I know our company is working on one for Springfield Township. Besides that, I think we’d be one of the few communities to actually have one in place.?
Carlisle/Wortman has drafted wind device ordinances for Shiawassee County and communities in Livingston and Washtenaw counties.
Under Oxford’s proposed ordinance, Wind Energy Conversion Systems would be allowed for private, commercial and agricultural uses in all zoning districts so long as special land use approval is first obtained from the township.
Oppmann said the ordinance language recommended for approval by planner commissioners is ‘more liberal, more loose? than what his firm had originally presented.
‘The (wind) industry is constantly changing and improving,? he explained. ‘We weren’t really sure what the regulations were, so we loosened up a lot of the regulations. We just left it up to state and federal guidelines because I think all of that is still in flux.?
As far as the height of the windmills or turbines, the proposed ordinance doesn’t set a one-size-fits-all maximum for the structures.
‘We can’t regulate the height of these structures because most of them need to be a minimum of 60-feet tall to even work unless you’re on top of a hill or blessed with the fact you don’t have any trees around you,? Oppmann explained.
However, it does regulate how tall a windmill or turbine can be based on lot size.
All private and commercial WECS structures must be setback from property lines at a distance equal to or greater than the height of the structure as measured from the base to the highest reach of its blade.
‘If you have a small lot, you can’t do a really tall one because it just wouldn’t meet the requirement there,? Oppmann explained. ‘But if you have 10 acres, you could do one.?
The proposed ordinance not only covers installing windmills or turbines, it also has a provision for getting rid of ones no longer in use. In the event a WECS structure is not used for 180 days or more, the township would require its removal.
Oppmann said those installing a windmill or turbine must still apply for the necessary building permits and have it inspected by the township. ‘It’s not at all unlike any other building,? he said.