September 12, 2013
Massachusetts

Plymouth: Wind turbine denied

By Charles Mathewson | 95.9 WATD | Posted on September 12, 2013 | 959watd.com

Tuesday night, Plymouth Selectmen endorsed a Town Meeting article to restrict large scale wind turbines. Wednesday night, the Zoning Board concluded its deliberation on a proposed 275-foot turbine behind the Stop & Shop plaza, 600 feet from the Algonquin Heights subsidized apartments, off Route 3’s exit 6.

The company leases its space in Standish Plaza from an undisclosed entity. Spokesmen said the turbine would supply 70 percent of the site’s electricity demand.

The special permit application required a super majority to pass – four of the five zoning board members. It received a simple majority for denial – three of five members voting no.

They said while the proposal meets many of the requirements of the current bylaw, it may have violated the requirement to do no harm to the neighborhood. Given conflicting evidence of health effects of large turbines, they said it would be too close to residences on both sides of the highway.

The proposed bylaw would restrict large scale wind turbines to the town’s two industrial zones. Plymouth attorney Ed Angley, representing Stop & Shop, said an appeal to superior court was highly unlikely.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/09/12/plymouth-wind-turbine-denied/