March 11, 2015
New York

Clarence wind turbine decision tabled

Kelly Dudzik | WGRZ | March 10, 2015 | www.wgrz.com

Clarence, NY – The debate over whether the owners of Thompson Brothers Greenhouse in Clarence will be allowed to build a 133 ½ foot high wind turbine will continue for at least another month.

The business sits on nearly twenty acres of farmland on Clarence Center Road. It is next to a housing development.

The town’s planning and zoning board tabled a decision on whether to grant the greenhouse a zoning variance Tuesday night. The turbine’s proposed height is greater than the 60 foot tower limit in Clarence.

Dawn Trippie, a co-owner of the greenhouse, requested the board table the decision after more than an hour of public comment. While she says she is getting a lot of emails and facebook messages of support, the majority of neighbors who spoke Tuesday evening are against the turbine because they believe it will lower the property values of their $300,000-$500,000 homes.

“It’s not that I’m opposed to green energy. The issue here is the location of this wind turbine. A wind turbine of 133 1/2 feet does not belong in a residential area of densely populated homes with the bike path that’s well utilized running through it,” says homeowner Donna Baia.

“If I thought it was going to be an eyesore, I don’t want it in my backyard. Bottom line, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I think they’re pretty cool,” says co-owner Dawn Trippie.

The homes were built on land that used to be part of the Thompson’s farm. Trippie is married to one of the Thompson brothers. The zoning board already denied Trippie’s request for a taller 140 foot turbine. She says that if her latest request is denied, she will take legal action and she believes state agriculture law would help her win in a court battle against the town.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/03/11/clarence-wind-turbine-decision-tabled/