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Township discusses residential turbines

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By Matt Sanctis, Staff Writer 9:27 PM Tuesday, March 9, 2010

UNION TWP. — Union Twp. officials don’t have many guidelines for building residential turbines in their township.

But they started discussions Tuesday, March 9, on whether they need to develop some zoning regulations and if so, what they should be.

The township’s zoning commission and appeals boards met to discuss the issue, but said more research needs to be done. The board is expected to meet again in April. In the meantime, zoning commission members plan to look at zoning guidelines developed by the Logan-Union-Champaign Regional Planning Commission. They also plan to seek some guidelines from manufacturers of residential turbines later this month.

The state’s Ohio Power Siting Board determines the regulations for larger, industrial-size turbines, but regulations for smaller residential turbines are set by local entities, such as Union Twp.

Bill Runyan, president of the Union Twp. Zoning Commission, said for now, any turbines built in the township can only be 50 feet tall. The setbacks from the road must be at least 1.1 times the height of the turbine, although those rules will likely change as the board continues to research the issue.

Once the zoning board reaches a decision, it would have to be submitted to the township trustees for approval.

However, Don Skillman, another member of the zoning commission, questioned whether the zoning board should be addressing the issue now.

There are no residential wind turbines in the township, although one local resident has plans to build one in the future.

“Until it becomes an issue, is it really worth it?” Skillman asked.

Runyan said there will likely have to be several additional discussions on the topic before the zoning board reaches a conclusion.

Ron Williams, a member of the Union Twp. Board of Appeals, said board members will have to be careful about drafting any zoning guidelines for the turbines.

“You need to be prepared down the road and not impede people’s rights, but get it right the first time,” he said.

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