Planning commission recommends approval of three meteorological towers in Elbert County

The Elbert County Planning Commission on May 20, 2024, voted to recommend approval of three special-use reviews (SURs) for meteorological towers proposed by Bijou Hills Wind LLC. The commission’s recommendation, 6-1, sends the proposals to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.

The three SURs are for MET towers identified in the staff packet as SUR20240109 (Worrell Tower, 60 meters), SUR20240114 (Hurtnecki Tower, 81.3 meters/approximately 266 feet) and SUR20242490 (Chambers Tower, 60 meters). The towers would be installed on separate agricultural parcels in southern Elbert County and are intended to collect wind and related atmospheric data that could be used in future resource assessment for wind projects.

Danny Klebanner, a land-use planner with Community Development Services (CDS), said the applications comply with county zoning standards and referral comments. Klebanner explained the towers will be setback farther from property lines than each tower’s height, will be painted in orange-and-white bands, will use exclusionary fencing around anchors and mast bases, and will include small solar panels and dataloggers. Klebanner said federal referrals returned “no hazard” determinations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the tallest tower and that the projects must comply with FAA and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules during their life.

Matthew Pagan, an applicant representative for Bijou Hills Wind LLC, told the commission the towers are temporary and that the company expects to remove them after data collection is complete. “These towers are intended to be temporary towers,” Pagan said. “I can’t imagine it would be more than 7 years.” Tyler Strepp, also with the applicant team, added that FAA requirements would require the top light on the tallest structure and that the two shorter towers would carry voluntary visual markers (spherical markers) and other voluntary protective measures unless FAA rulemaking changes.

Public comment at the hearing included a neighbor and tenant who said he had no concerns. “We have no issue with this,” said Chris, a tenant and the closest resident to one tower location, identifying his address during testimony and saying Bijou Hills had responsibly managed an existing MET tower nearby.

Commissioners focused much of their discussion on conditions to ensure timely removal of towers if data collection ends, leases expire or a project is canceled, and on wildlife protections and FAA compliance. Commissioner Nicole Hunt pressed for a clear decommissioning timeline. “I’d love to see a condition in here that gives assurance that the decommissioning will happen, let’s say, within 90 days,” Hunt said; the applicant said 120 days would be more practical given weather and logistics. The planning commission recommended a decommissioning condition and asked that the applicant provide a current deed for the Worrell property before the Board of County Commissioners packet.

Action: The commission recommended approval with conditions that include adherence to FAA/FCC requirements during the towers’ existence; submission of a current deed for the Worrell parcel for the BOCC packet; and a county‑directed decommissioning timeline to begin after lease end, project cancellation or conclusion of data collection (the discussion settled on a decommissioning clock that the commission suggested and the applicant indicated 120 days would be practicable). The motion was seconded and carried by roll call: Diana Edstrom voted No; Dan McCollum, Nicole Hunt, John Gresham, Van Sands, Robert Politek and Kevin Kirkwood voted Aye; tally 6–1 in favor. The Planning Commission’s recommendation will be considered by the Board of County Commissioners at a later public hearing (staff noted a BOCC hearing date of June 11 in the packet).

Staff materials for the SURs noted referrals to agencies including the FAA, FCC, Colorado Department of Transportation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; CDS said it had no outstanding concerns and that Elbert County Public Works, the county health department and the Big Sandy Fire Protection District returned no objections.

The commission’s action is a recommendation only; the Board of County Commissioners will make the final decision on each SUR.