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WILLISTON — A motion to require all future windmills to be a mile away from existing structures — a significant increase from the current minimum distance of 1,400 feet — failed in a 3-3 vote at the Williams County Planning & Zoning Commission April 16 meeting.
Although most commission members agreed some type of variance would be appropriate to address residents’ concerns about windmills being too close to their properties, some disagreed on the specifics of how to go about this. As the vote resulted in a tie, the motion failed and the commission unanimously voted to table the motion and revisit it at a future meeting.
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Voting in favor of the proposed variance were Barry Ramberg, George Pederson and Dan Kalil. Voting against the variance were Mark Barstad, Brett Brothers and Tori Siemieniewski.
The proposed amendment to a county ordinance which would have made the variance was requested to the commission by county resident Michael Horob, who was present at the meeting. During public comment, Horob and other residents argued that having massive wind turbines so close to their residences was an eyesore and that they had no recourse to prevent companies from setting them up very close to their properties. Other residents urged a broader pause through a year-long moratorium on new wind farms as well as data centers, citing aesthetic, environmental and economic concerns until the county could adequately research the full effects of these structures and sufficiently protect its residents from any negative impacts.
The split commission debated how to balance the rights of residents who may not mind living closer to a windmill with protecting those who would feel negatively affected by one being set up near their backyards. Those in favor of the mile-long setback argued that the burden of requesting a variance to the amendment should fall on those who would want a wind turbine closer to their homes, not on those who wanted them to be farther away. The opposing half of the commission worried that the significant setback would make future wind energy projects nearly impossible, serving as a de facto moratorium with no set end date.
There was also discussion among the commission on the distinction between occupied and unoccupied structures, with some members exploring the idea of including the variance for occupied buildings but keeping the existing 1,400-foot distance for uninhabited buildings. Development Services Supervisor Kameron Hymer told the commission that although there were different ways the county could try to determine which properties in the county were occupied or unoccupied, it could be a lengthy process with no guarantee of 100% accuracy. One resident expressed concern over this approach, noting that structures that are not currently occupied may have the potential to house people in the future.
As the motion for the variance failed, the ordinance currently maintains a minimum 1,400-feet distance from any personal property and wind energy projects. However, the Planning & Zoning commission expressed commitment to revisiting this issue with more information and a more solid plan of how to move forward.
The next regular Williams County Planning & Zoning Commission meeting is scheduled for May 21 at 6 p.m. in the Williams County Administration Building.
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