Menomonee Falls -- Jun 29 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel


As the state pushes for more wind energy and fewer local restrictions, Menomonee Falls is one of the first communities in southeastern Wisconsin to tackle the issue, trying to strike a compromise between small windmills and commercial farms.

Village employees began researching the issue after a local resident expressed interest in installing a small wind turbine in his yard to reduce energy costs.

Staff could offer little guidance. The village does not have specific regulations on wind turbines -- their size, noise or location.

They're not alone. They found no ordinances in the Milwaukee area, but reviewed about 10 from other parts of the state, mainly where major commercial wind farms have been built or are planned for construction.

But interest in smaller systems for personal energy savings is growing, said Kelly Lang, Focus on Energy's renewable energy program marketing manager.

The program has assisted more than 50 small wind turbine installations across the state, with more than 15 to be added by the end of the year and others planned for 2010, she said. About 10 have been installed in southeastern Wisconsin, including two in Mequon.

"It's something that communities should start to think about with concerns about energy conservation and efficiency," said Dan Ertl, Brookfield's community development director.

"We probably need to revise and refine our regulations," Ertl said.

Like Menomonee Falls, Brookfield also has no specific language on turbines. If a resident sought to build one now -- the city's zoning administrator said he's had a couple of inquiries but no requests -- the city likely would treat it as an accessory structure. Those are limited to a maximum 15 feet in height -- not tall enough to generate sufficient wind power.

Waukesha County also has no direct rules on turbines. County Planning and Zoning Manager Dick Mace said he could recall only one case, in which a farmer installed one in 1986.

"It could be that we'd treat it as a special use not otherwise regulated," which would allow greater discretion, he said.

"I think we want to accommodate them within reason, but I don't think they belong in a residential subdivision with one-acre lots," he added.

In Menomonee Falls, village staff proposed a 60-foot maximum monopole height, which one resident said was too low to be effective.

Small wind turbines typically are about 84 to 120 feet tall, said Lang with Focus on Energy. Anything taller than 170 feet is not considered a small system, and commercial systems can exceed 250 feet.

Village staff also recommended that turbines be limited to agriculturally zoned land, not residential. Menomonee Falls has about 4,000 acres of agriculturally zoned land in its western half.

Other staff proposals would limit wind systems to those that generate less than 50 kilowatts. Noise would be limited to five decibels above ambient, and turbine blades could be no longer than 15 feet.

Owners would have to set the systems back from all property lines a distance at least equal to the height of the monopole. And the systems could not interfere with area radio or television reception.

Four residents spoke at a public hearing on the issue -- two interested in installing systems and two opposed, raising noise and reception concerns.

Trustees sent the issue back to the Plan Commission for more study, including whether turbines should be allowed in residential areas.

"It's new technology that we have to try to keep up with," Village President Randy Newman said in an interview. "We certainly don't want to put anything up that is going to be obtrusive to neighbors with both noise and sight."

He added, "I don't want a village full of monopoles that would look like a pincushion flying over the top."

Others say the village doesn't or shouldn't have much veto power over wind systems.

State law says local governments can regulate systems only to "preserve and protect public health and safety without significantly increasing the cost or decreasing the efficiency of a small wind energy system."

Mequon used guidelines suggested by Focus on Energy in 2006 when it approved a 120-foot turbine to help power the ecological center in the 400-acre Mequon Nature Preserve, as well as a 160-foot turbine at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

Mequon never adopted local ordinances even after the two projects, said Jac Zader, the city's assistant community development director.

"The statutes limit what we can do," he said.

But a bill co-authored by state Sen. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) would establish statewide standards for wind systems that local communities could not exceed.

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