By Brandon Shulleeta
bshulleeta@dailyprogress.com | 978-7245
With officials weighing the possibility of allowing wind turbines in Albemarle County, planning commissioners on Tuesday expressed support for the idea, though they said there are many details to be worked out.
“The devil is in the details,” said Mark Graham, Albemarle’s director of community development.
The noise and height of the power-generating turbines were chief concerns for commissioners.
Jeremy Hayes, president of Skyline Turbines, said that people often think of turbines as being large and loud, though some can be unobtrusive and as quiet as a laptop, he said.
Planning commissioners agreed that there have to be regulations dictating the type of turbines allowed and where they are permitted, if they’re allowed at all.
Wind turbines can be used for large-scale power generation, but some residents also have expressed interest in smaller models to install at their homes. Hayes said that such residential turbines often cost at least $12,000.
Though turbines are more common in rural areas, some commissioners said the county should look at circumstances in which it would be appropriate to allow turbines in more urban areas.
The idea of allowing turbines has met with some skepticism.
Commissioners discussed the possibility of initially requiring special-use permits for all new wind turbines. However, commissioner Bill Edgerton said that doing so would be too costly and that if the county were to require a special-use permit for every wind turbine, “we might as well forget the whole exercise.”
Another issue was making sure that wind turbines are safe.
Graham suggested that there would have to be a clearing, in case a wind turbine falls, that’s 20 feet greater than the height of the turbine.
The Board of Supervisors will consider whether to allow wind turbines, and under what circumstances, at a May 6 meeting.
Church expansion
The Planning Commis-sion on Tuesday also approved a special-use permit that will allow Nortonsville Church of God in White Hall to expand its facilities by 28,000 square feet, 14,000 square feet of which is below ground. The expansion would allow for additional space for evening services and special events, such as weddings.
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