October 13, 2015
Colorado

Proposed wind turbine generates opposition in Evergreen Meadows

By Beth Potter | Canyon Courier | Tuesday, October 13, 2015 | www.canyoncourier.com

A resident’s plan to build a wind turbine to generate electricity for his house in Evergreen Meadows appears to be drawing substantial opposition from neighbors.

Hans Sinkovec wants to build a 90-foot-high tower on his family’s 5-acre property. Because the tower would not meet current zoning requirements, a rezoning application will be discussed at a Jeffco Planning Commission meeting at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in Hearing Room 1 at 100 Jefferson County Parkway in Golden.

The planning department has recommended approving the rezoning application to allow the tower, said Russ Clark, a senior planner at the Jeffco planning and zoning department. Planners took pictures of a mock tower that stood almost 90 feet high at the site before recommending the rezoning that would allow a permanent tower, Clark said.

“We found out that the tower itself won’t be silhouetted against the sky, except right where you’ll be looking up at it – straight up,” Clark said.

Many existing county policies seem to support the proposed tower, and many other county policies seem to oppose the tower, Clark said. If an application is approved by the Planning Commission, it then goes to the county commissioners for a final decision. That could happen Nov. 10, Clark said.

County staff has recommended that the wind turbine be painted a “forest” or “olive drab” green so that it blends with the forest background, Clark said.

Sinkovec said he and his wife, Rita, want to power their home with electricity generated by wind. He said he calculates that it will take 15 years to pay back the cost of the turbine but declined to give the turbine’s price.

Sinkovec expressed frustration at neighbors’ concerns, saying that recent anonymous phone calls to his home have been “very ugly.” He complained about members of the Evergreen Meadows Homeowners Association board of directors.

“There are a lot of NIMBYs (not in my backyard). They’re not sure why they don’t like it; they just don’t like it,” Sinkovec said.

HOA president Alan Rockwood said the homeowner association is concerned about the possible precedent that would be set by changing the zoning in the middle of a subdivision. Other issues include potential visual impacts and noise, among other things.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Rockwood said.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/10/13/proposed-wind-turbine-generates-opposition-in-evergreen-meadows/