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Residents raise concerns about proposed industrial wind farm; local calls to study backyard-chicken rules
Summary
During public comment, a resident warned the council about a proposed 40,000-acre industrial wind farm with turbines up to 638 feet tall and a developer timeline toward 2031. Another speaker (Council Member Bailey) summarized backyard-chicken ordinances used by neighboring towns and asked for the issue to be studied and placed on a future agenda.
At the start of the April 8 meeting a resident told the Kenyon City Council she wanted to alert neighbors to a proposed industrial wind farm covering roughly 40,000 acres in Rice County, including townships such as Richland and Palmer. She said several companies are pursuing the project, mentioned National Grid as one presenter at a nearby meeting, and described proposed turbine dimensions that she called "industrial size": turbines up to 638 feet tall with blades about 263 feet long. She said developers were "actively signing contracts" and that one timeline she heard suggested operations could be targeted by 2031, with a 0-to-10-year development window and up to two full summers of construction.
"This is a huge project," the resident told the council, and she asked that the city's residents be made aware of potential impacts on the community.
Separately, a speaker identifying herself as Bailey presented research on backyard-chicken ordinances in nearby towns. Bailey summarized a range of local approaches: some towns allow hens only, many require annual inspections and permits or small fees, some limit flock sizes (examples mentioned include limits of three to ten hens depending on the jurisdiction), and several allow educational or instructional exceptions that reduce or waive fees. She urged the council to research local models and suggested placing the issue on a future agenda for formal consideration.
Council members received both public comments and indicated staff would follow up: the wind-farm comment was recorded for awareness, and the council agreed to research chicken-ordinance options and consider adding the subject to a future meeting agenda.
