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Board approves 4 meteorological towers at Yavapai Ranch for wind data collection
Summary
The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors approved a five‑year nontransferable use permit to install four 197‑foot meteorological (MET) towers on private parcels of Yavapai Ranch to collect wind data for a potential wind energy project; approval was 3–1 with Vice Chair Compton dissenting.
The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors on April 16 approved a nontransferable use permit to install four meteorological towers on private parcels at Yavapai Ranch to collect wind data for a possible future wind energy project.
The permit, approved by a 3–1 vote, allows four MET towers, each proposed at about 197 feet (60 meters), to stand on roughly 11,200 acres for a three‑to‑five year monitoring period. Vice Chair Brooks Compton voted no; Supervisor Cech, Supervisor Cugniak, and Chair Mallory voted yes.
Planning staff said the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 8–1, and staff added a conditions package that includes compliance with recommendations from the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 8 to 1 to recommend approval of this application," planner Susan Hebert said during the hearing. The application covers two large parcels roughly 12 miles southwest of Seligman in an area made up of checkerboard private and Prescott National Forest lands.
Triple Oak Power, the project representative, said the MET towers are an early, data‑gathering step and are separate from any later wind turbine proposal. Ben Turner, representing Triple Oak Power, told the board the wind project "does not need tax credits to go forward" and said tax credits that do exist would be used in the later project financing if applicable. Turner said the MET towers themselves would not be lit at night and would have a small fenced base footprint to protect livestock.
Board members and the applicant discussed community concerns, including scenic impacts, wildlife collisions and public access. Hebert said the towers would be painted and marked per FAA requirements and that Arizona Game and Fish provided best practices on bird strike avoidance; the Planning and Zoning Commission added a compliance condition with Game and Fish.
Chair Mallory and others emphasized that the MET towers are a preliminary step and that a full wind project would require much more community engagement and separate approvals. "I do expect a lot of community involvement" before any wind turbine project moves forward, Turner said.
The permit as approved is limited in time and nontransferable; staff said it would return as required by county procedures if further permits are requested or if an actual energy project is proposed.
Votes and next steps: Planning staff said the towers and associated monitoring are scheduled to come under the permit for three to five years, with any successor project subject to separate review. The board’s conditions include Arizona Game and Fish compliance to reduce wildlife impacts.
