Perception can be reality and do damage
Observer-Dispatch | www.uticaod.com 2 June 2012
Well-documented evidence of industrial wind turbine noise and health issues combined with destruction of view shed, causes drastic devaluation of property because it creates a negative perception.
Whether or not this evidence is a matter of scientific fact, published studies and horror stories have helped form a perception among potential buyers that living near turbines has negative consequences. When residents near turbines in Fairfield say, “It’s nothing but misery,” potential buyers listen. The wind industry counters with their own claims, but the reality remains: buyers are afraid to invest in a risky venture.
The impact of this perception has been measured using surveys of Realtors working in wind turbine areas and through impact studies using sales of properties near turbines compared to those that were not. Properties bordering industrial turbines lose up to half their comparable value or become unsellable. Properties within half a mile lose 37 percent; within a mile, 30 percent, etc. Non-residential land loses up to 40 percent.
For many, a home represents the major portion of their financial security. A nearby industrial turbine factory could quite possibly leave them in ruin, while their tax dollars are spent subsidizing the very entity that stripped them of their security. No matter how far you live from such a factory, your property values will also be affected because your taxes will increase to offset your town’s shrinking tax base and buyers will perceive your property less valuable as a result.
Perception is reality. Don’t let industrial wind turbines create a perception of decreased property value in your town!
DOUG WHITFIELD
Clayville
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/06/02/perception-can-be-reality-and-do-damage/