Bridgeport Township officials eye wind turbines
Some Bridgeport Township leaders should expect to hear from Bruce Palmer.
Members of the Board of Trustees recently gave Palmer, the township zoning and planning administrator, the go-ahead to pursue revisions to the master plan.
Members of the township Planning Commission recommend the changes to accommodate wind farm development.
Palmer’s next step is to share the proposed revisions with leaders of surrounding townships and the Saginaw County Planning Commission. The target area borders Frankenmuth, Buena Vista and Blumfield townships.
Township leaders have 63 days to respond before the Planning Commission schedules hearings to receive public input.
Palmer said the zoning changes are necessary if the township is to poise itself as a stage for renewable energy.
“If we’re pro-active, were on their (the developers’) radar,” he said.
Wind maps show Bridgeport Township and surrounding areas receive 15.7 to 16.8 mph winds, close to the speeds found in Oliver Township, where the Harvest Wind Farm cranks out renewable energy from 32 turbines, and Ubly, home of the 46-turbine Michigan Wind 1, which launched operations Jan. 5.
Bridgeport Township has limited land appropriate for wind farm use, Palmer said.
He has identified a section in the northwest corner of the township that could accommodate 19 turbines, not enough for a commercial endeavor, he said.
“But there’s a lot more land if you combine it with agricultural (property) in other townships,” he said. “That’s why we want to partner with our neighbors.”
The zoning changes also address rules for small turbine installation for individual or neighborhood use.
The Planning Commission on Monday, Feb. 23, will host a presentation from a wind farm expert. The meeting takes place at the township governmental center.
by LaNia Coleman | The Saginaw News
9 February 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related stories:
- Bridgeport Township prepares zoning for potential wind farm
- Bridgeport Township officials making early plans to pave way for a wind farm
- Kochville leaders mull wind turbine ordinance, consider test application
- WTG ordinance changes go to county board
- One more chance to review wind ordinance
- Zeeland Township may alter wind energy ordinance
The copyright of this article is owned by the author or publisher indicated. Its availability here constitutes a "fair use" as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law as well as in similar "fair dealing" exceptions of the copyright laws of other nations, as part of National Wind Watch's effort to advance understanding of the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development. For more information, click here.
