The Pulaski County Advisory Plan Commission has finished its proposal for updating the county’s wind turbine regulations. It took multiple meetings, but commission members finally reached a consensus Tuesday on the proposed changes to the Unified Development Ordinance.
Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer has been helping with the process. He says that as the proposal currently stands, it would increase the setback requirement from 1.1 to 3.5 times the turbine’s overall height, measured from the property line. It would also add several new restrictions. “We have no rules in our ordinance right now pertaining to setbacks to private airports,” Origer says, “and presumably, we will be adding that to the ordinance, protecting private aircraft owners and their ascent and descent patterns out of their airstrips. We will be including language regarding noise and shadow flicker that we do not currently have in the ordinance.”
Origer says the complete proposal will be publicly available on the county’s website and at various government buildings within the next couple weeks. However, the public hearing over the proposed changes has been pushed back yet again. It’s now scheduled to take place on Monday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m. EDT at the Star City Community Building at 2550 East Key Street. That’s nearly two months later than originally planned. Residents may also send written comments to the Pulaski County Building Department.
In the meantime, Origer plans to follow up with an outside attorney who specializes in wind energy regulations. The attorney was hired at the recommendation of Origer and County Attorney Kevin Tankersley, but Origer says that so far, the specialist attorney hasn’t been as helpful as he’d hoped. “I don’t wish to make a point of speaking critically of someone, but to be honest, I have not been entirely pleased with the extent to which that attorney has provided any guidance,” Origer says. “He provided one update that focused a little bit less on some things I was hoping he would’ve and a little bit more on things where I wasn’t as in need of his commentary. And communication has sort of been stalled.”
Following next month’s public hearing, the plan commission will vote on the ordinance updates. They will then go to the county commissioners for final approval.
