Council sends draft windmill regulations back to
subcommittee
A zoning ordinance amendment that would allow windmills in town as an alternative
source of energy has been sent back to the Town Council's ordinance subcommittee
for fine-tuning.
The amendment had intended to allow windmills on public or private property,
but during the course of review, officials shifted their intent to Town-owned
property only.
That intent, however, was unclear to Town councilors at their March 3 meeting,
so they sent the document back to their ordinance subcommittee for more work.
The draft amendments stem from a Town Council directive to the Planning Board
to review current ordinances as they pertain to alternative energy, including
wind, solar, and other sources. The board's recommendation was to address
wind energy, since solar panels are already permitted, and other sources
of alternative energy have not proven practical.
However, the proposal to allow windmills of up to 100 feet in Cape Elizabeth
has raised some concern about noise and aesthetics since it was first considered
by the Planning Board in December.
Sara Lennon, a member of the ordinance committee, told fellow councilors
on March 3 that the subcommittee hesitated to have the change apply townwide
at this time, opting instead to allow windmills on Town property. "So the
citizens in Cape would get a feel for what it was like," she said.
While the types of windmills in nearby communities may not be compatible
with the character of Cape Elizabeth, ordinance committee members said they
wished to keep the regulations on windmill designs broad enough to encourage
innovation and creativity.
Paul McKenney, a member of the Town Council but who is not on the subcommittee,
also encouraged the council to keep an open mind and to remember the goal
of exploring alternative energy sources. "I think it's really important to
keep in mind the goal to reduce reliance on foreign oil," he said. "We need
to get serious about it, or we won't do it," McKenney said.
"If the focus is on noise and aesthetics, we'll never get anywhere," he said.
Previous stories:
