‘1 foot rule’ gets by Tipton Co. residents
Kokomo Tribune | March 16, 2014 | www.kokomotribune.com
At a recent public meeting it was brought to my attention by anti-wind supporters that Tipton County has perhaps the most liberal wind ordinance in the world. You can place a 450-foot turbine within 1 FOOT of an occupied residence.
There are communities with zoning ordinances that have minimum setbacks of 1,000 feet from an occupied structure, and some countries with 5 mile setbacks. In Tipton County there are two decisive minimum setback requirements listed in the new wind zoning ordinance, a setback of 2,640 feet from a non-participating land owner’s residence, and a 350-foot setback from a public right-of-way.
How can this 1 foot rule be true?
All setback requirements for “participating landowners sharing a common property line” are eliminated by signing and recording a written waiver agreement. In other words, there are no setback requirements for participating landowners. They can place a turbine anywhere, as long as it does not violate the non-participating setback rules.
How did the elected officials of Tipton County get this ordinance past the strong anti-wind presence in the county? I guess the wind company and the large landowners who control county government are better at the shell game than anyone thought. I want to believe the county commissioners and the planning officials considered the safety of their families and their neighbors when drafting the zoning ordinance. But I think the wind company had the upperhand.
Russell Turk
Sharpsville
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/03/17/1-foot-rule-gets-by-tipton-co-residents/