October 13, 2013
Indiana

New wind ordinance in Tipton County

Public eye, Oct. 13, 2013 | Kokomo Tribune | October 13, 2013 | kokomotribune.com

The Tipton County Plan Commission is set to amend the county’s ordinance for the regulation of wind farms.

Plan commission members will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Tipton County 4-H Building to finalize the document, which has been under review for several months.

The unresolved issue concerns the procedure to be used in the future to site proposed wind farms in the county.

Their options are to continue the current procedure requiring Board of Zoning Appeals approval of a conditional use permit, create overlay districts where wind farms will be a permitted use or require a rezoning of property for the placement of wind turbines from agricultural to industrial use.

Tipton County Commissioner Joe VanBibber, a member of the plan commission, is expected to propose a map for the creation of overlay districts in the county.

The unknown is whether VanBibber can get the required votes for to adopt the overlay district plan.

Changes already approved include a minimum setback distance of 1,500 feet from a wind turbine to the nearest property line, with the added provision a turbine can’t be located within 2,640 feet of a residential property. Another change already approved is no wind turbine may be placed within 1 mile of a municipal or county boundary.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/10/13/new-wind-ordinance-in-tipton-county/