June 14, 2007
Maine
Maine
FREEDOM–The on-again, off-again wind turbine project on Beaver Ridge may have gotten the final green light on Tuesday when voters agreed to repeal the commercial zoning ordinance that all but doomed the project earlier this year.
Residents agreed by a 159-112 margin to repeal the ordinance, which was established last year in response to Portland-based Competitive Energy Service’s plan to install three 400-foot turbines on the ridge.
The planning board determined in late last year that the project met the guidelines of the commercial building ordinance, but neighbors of the proposed site appealed the decision. The town’s board of appeals determined the project failed to meet noise and bonding requirements spelled out in the ordinance.
Competitive Energy appealed to Waldo County Superior Court, but Tuesday’s decision likely means the company can simply request a building permit with no more scrutiny than a new home construction, said David Schofield, acting Code Enforcement Officer for Jay Guber.
“I would say it would be no different than getting a house,” Schofield said.
By Morning Sentinel Staff Report
13 June 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/06/14/voters-tilt-toward-wind-turbines/