National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News » Planning Board approves met tower applications

CLAYTON – The joint village and town Planning Board approved Atlantic Wind LLC’s permit applications to install three temporary meteorological towers for the proposed Horse Creek Wind Farm project at its monthly meeting Thursday night.

Richard A. Ingerson, the zoning and code enforcement officer for the town of Clayton, said that all three meteorological towers followed the town’s zoning law regulations, including its height and setback regulations. Planning Board Chairman Douglas E. Rogers said the developer made no changes to the initial applications since Planning Board members reviewed them April 7.

“We are looking to do it earlier if possible,” said Paul N. Copleman, the communications manager for Avangrid Renewables. “It’s always exciting to make progress on these projects.”

The first tower will be erected along the east end of Hart Road approximately 1,800 feet from its intersection with Miller Road. The second tower will be placed on the west side of Route 12 approximately 2,000 feet from its intersection with Lowe Road. The third tower will be built on the property between Morris Tract Road and Weaver Road.

The developer “provided maps that showed a great amount of specificity,” Mr. Rogers said.

The 196.85-foot towers will have two sets of cable marker balls attached to the guide wires 90 feet from the ground, Mr. Ingerson said. All three towers will be built 1,200 feet from the road and will be within the town’s wind overlay district.

The Planning Board “certainly wasn’t going to approve of anything outside of the overlay district,” Mr. Rogers said.

Reviewing the developer’s applications Thursday night was a condition of the settlement reached between the developer and both the Clayton Town Council and the Planning Board to terminate the developer’s lawsuit against the town.

Under the agreement, both the Town Council and the Planning Board agreed to have the Planning Board review the developer’s applications under the town’s current wind and zoning laws and to let the six-month moratorium on wind energy facility applications expire last Thursday. The Town Council established the moratorium April 28 when board members passed Local Law No. 2, prohibiting the Planning Board from making a decision on the developer’s applications in May.

“We had to operate on the existing premise at the time they submitted the applications,” Mr. Rogers said. “It was part of the settlement that was reached.”

Along with Atlantic Wind’s three metrological tower applications, Mr. Rogers said the Planning Board also approved the Clayton Country Club owners’ application to relocate the platform tennis court at the Clayton Yacht Club to the country club.

Clayton Town Supervisor David M. Storandt Jr. and William A. Grater, country club co-owner and the principal in charge for Grater Architects P.C., could not be reached for comment.