February 11, 2011
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Some Hingham residents dismayed at Cohasset vote on wind turbine
By Christine Legere, Globe correspondent, www.boston.com 10 February 2011
By Christine Legere, Globe correspondent, www.boston.com 10 February 2011
Based on a straw vote by Cohasset’s Planning Board last night, the Trustees of Reservations will secure the site plan approval and special permit it needs to erect a 400-foot high wind turbine on Turkey Hill.
The decision chagrined some homeowners in Hingham who believe the turbine near their neighborhood will lower their standard of living, but also their property values.
Four of five Cohasset Planning Board members said they were in favor of the project when polled, as long as concerns, such as the light-shadow effect called “flicker” and fencing to prevent public injury from ice throw, are addressed in some attached conditions.
The one dissenting vote was cast by Charles Samuelson, who argued the proposal didn’t meet the standards of Cohasset’s wind turbine bylaw, which stipulates that the turbine can’t have significant flicker impact through its siting. A caretaker’s cottage on the Turkey Hill property and a nearby facility called Golden Living will both experience flicker for more hours than is generally considered acceptable.
Planning Board members discussed the possible use of black-out shades, planting trees to create a visual barrier, periodic turbine shut-down, and post construction monitoring to address the negative impacts of flicker.
The board plans to take its formal vote on Feb. 23.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/02/11/some-hingham-residents-dismayed-at-cohasset-vote-on-wind-turbine/