Board of Supervisors delays wind turbine decision

The Amherst Board of Supervisors last week delayed a decision on whether to allow wind turbines in the county.

The board scheduled the public hearing to receive feedback on the Amherst County Planning Commission’s proposal to amend the zoning code to allow for the use of small wind energy systems in Amherst.

The turbines would be considered as a special exception use in districts zoned as agricultural-residential, commercial and industrial.

Amherst resident Mark Labadie was the sole speaker at the hearing.

Labadie spoke in support of allowing wind turbines in Amherst but took issue with a regulation mandating the turbines be set back 200 feet from adjacent property.

Supervisor Ray Vandall had raised the setback issue before the hearing, saying he believed the setback requirement should be twice the overall height of the turbine rather than the stated 200 feet.

Amherst’s director of planning and zoning, Jeremy Bryant, said the county had received inquiries about wind energy from several landowners but no official applications.

“Any time there is a rise in energy costs, there will certainly be a need for alternative forms of energy,” Bryant said in an interview Monday.

The board tabled the proposal until its next meeting, slated for Dec. 1.

If the planning commission and board were to approve the amendment, Amherst would join other counties in the region that have passed zoning rules for turbines.

Last week, the Nelson County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that allows small wind energy systems to be built within the county.

Bedford County board members also are considering whether to add an amendment on wind energy to their zoning code.

In October, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the state would receive $16.1 million in federal stimulus funds to award to local governments pursuing the best energy conservation programs, which could involve the use of wind energy.

In other business, no one spoke at a public hearing on a zoning text amendment to allow above ground liquefied petroleum containers in areas zoned commercial (B-2) or village (V-1), although several board members expressed concerned that the amendment did not impose regulations on where the containers could be placed. The board delayed a decision in order to further look into the matter.

The board unanimously approved the Virginia Blue Ridge Trail Foundation’s request to seek roughly $325,000 in additional grant money to continue work on the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway Trail.