Planning commission backs moving forward on small wind energy zoning amid concerns about buffers and critical-area variances

The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission voted Oct. 27 to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners support alternative energy, specifically small wind energy systems and solar installations, while continuing work on detailed ordinance standards and coordination with the Critical Area Commission.

The vote followed a public hearing and lengthy discussion that included a staff overview, technical questions about tower heights and buffers, and presentations from residents and renewable-energy vendors who said modern small-turbine systems can provide significant household energy production.

The commission’s recommendation is not the final zoning change. Planning staff presented draft language to add “small wind energy system” as a use in the county’s zoning ordinance and asked for guidance on standards such as maximum height, required setbacks, abandonment clauses and whether towers should be allowed inside critical-area buffers. Shelly (staff) told the commission that staff had consulted the Maryland Energy Administration’s model ordinance and examples from Dorchester, Carroll and Kent counties and had not changed the originally proposed maximum heights. She also said the Board of County Commissioners planned a public hearing on Nov. 3.

Local resident Richard Johnson, who said he has conducted multiple wind studies on his property and plans a grid-tied Jacobs 20-kilowatt system, told the commission his “average conservative wind speed was 10 miles per hour” and that at that speed his system would produce about 19,700 kilowatt-hours a year, “conservatively” covering a substantial share of his household use. Johnson also said his proposed 100-foot hub height plus 15-foot blades would yield an overall height near 115 feet.

Those public remarks prompted questions from commissioners about noise, aircraft safety, visual impacts, guy-wire setbacks and whether towers could carry antennas for commercial use. Commissioners and staff repeatedly raised the county’s critical-area rules: towers proposed inside the 200-foot critical-area buffer would likely require a variance from the Critical Area Commission or the local variance process because the Critical Area Program generally limits new development within buffers.

Commissioners pressed for limits on where towers would be allowed and for stronger draft provisions on abandonment or disuse, setbacks measured from total height (including blade sweep), and minimum parcel size. One commissioner said she would prefer a minimum parcel size of one acre and asked that towers not be allowed in development districts or town-centers during the initial adoption phase. Another commissioner suggested approving a pilot or demonstration exception for individual sites rather than opening the entire county at once.

After public comment and internal discussion, Commissioner Murrell Levin moved that the commission recommend to the Board of County Commissioners that the county support alternative-energy sources, including wind turbines and solar energy; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Chase and carried by voice vote.

The commission also voted to close the public hearing and leave the record open for additional written comment for a short period. Staff was directed to schedule a targeted work session so the commission can refine specific ordinance language—setbacks, allowed zones, minimum lot sizes, abandonment clauses and any limits on antennas or commercial collocation—before returning a finalized text amendment to the county commissioners.

What this means locally: The commission signaled political support for household-scale wind and other renewables while insisting on technical rules to limit visual impacts, safety risks and conflicts with the Critical Area Program. The county will not yet have a finished ordinance; staff and commissioners will continue to draft detailed standards and coordinate with state agencies before the Board of County Commissioners makes a final decision.

Sources and next steps: The Board of County Commissioners had a public hearing scheduled Nov. 3 on the draft text amendment. Planning staff suggested a workshop to draft specific standards and said they had shared Saint Mary’s draft language with other Maryland counties seeking guidance.

Ending: The commission’s action moved the county from discussion to an explicit recommendation of support for alternative-energy installations, but it left several technical and policy questions to be resolved in subsequent drafts and discussions with state agencies.