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Planning commission recommends one-mile setback for wind turbines from farmsteads, sends amendment to county commissioners
Summary
Williams County Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to forward a committee-recommended amendment to chapter 6-10-10.2 that would require wind turbines to be set back one mile from occupied or unoccupied farmsteads and homes; the item is a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners, not final adoption.
The Williams County Planning and Zoning Commission on June 21 voted to recommend to the Board of County Commissioners an amendment to chapter 6-10-10.2 of the county zoning ordinance that would require all wind turbines to be set back one mile from occupied and unoccupied farmsteads and homes.
Staff explained the item (LU-000021-266) had been considered previously and that a committee of six met on June 1 to draft proposed language. The committee’s proposal would change the current 6-10-10.2 language so that wind turbines must be set back one mile from farmsteads and homes, whether occupied full time or seasonally. The proposed language also requires the applicant or permittee to demonstrate due diligence in identifying farmsteads and working with landowners; variances could still be granted by the Board of County Commissioners upon a recommendation from planning and zoning and a signed waiver agreement from affected landowners.
Commissioners discussed application and definitional issues. One member asked how the ordinance would treat "unoccupied" or abandoned farmsteads; Jim, a committee participant, said township ordinance language and practical markers—such as buildings, utilities and shelter belts—were used to identify farmsteads, and that protecting those locations encourages future occupancy. "There shouldn't be a wind tower within a mile of that because in the future we're hoping some young people move back to the county here and kind of build here," Jim said.
A commissioner asked Brett to note what other counties require; participants observed that Divide County imposes a three-mile setback, a point raised to clarify that the Williams County proposal is not necessarily more restrictive than regional peers.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to add the committee-recommended one-mile setback language to the zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations and forward the change to the Board of County Commissioners for consideration. The motion was seconded and passed on a roll call vote with five yes votes recorded; the commission’s action is a recommendation and does not itself amend the county code.
The recommendation will be transmitted to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration; the transcript does not record dates for county-commission consideration or potential public hearings at that body.
