December 10, 2020
Kansas

Wind farm overlay rules amended

By Phyllis Zorn, Staff writer | Marion County Record | marionrecord.com

County commissioners approved amendments to chapter 27 of the planning and zoning commission’s 2018 wind farm overlay district at Monday’s meeting.

The amendments clarify language in the original version.

A subsection on special regulations applicable for conditional use permits for wind farms was revised and made its own section.

That section clarifies that a project approved before December 2016 must apply for a construction permit on or before April 1, 2020. If construction cannot be commenced promptly after approval, the wind farm may obtain a single extension of one year.

Wind farms projects approved after December 2016 must apply for a construction permit within two years. If construction cannot begin promptly after approval, a single one-year extension could be granted.

If the wind farm developer fails to apply for a construction permit or timely begin construction, the conditional use permit is terminated.

Conditional use permits do not extend to replacement of turbines at the end of their economic life or substitutions of new turbine designs, but turbines damaged by fire, storm, accident, or other casualty may be replaced with equivalent turbines.

If the wind farm project use ceases to exist for two years, the conditional use permit forfeits its development plan and must submit a new application.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/12/10/wind-farm-overlay-rules-amended/