The public got its first look last week at the preliminary details of a bylaw amendment that will create a new wind farm zoning category.
Earlier this year the county approved an official plan amendment for wind energy policies, and Mapleton Township is the first municipality in the county to deal with a zoning amendment.
Invenergy Canada, which plans to begin construction of the first phase of a wind farm next year – 14 turbines or 21 megawatts – has applied for the zoning amendment. The company is also planning future phases, with the farm to reach at least 60MW or 40 turbines in size.
And while nothing was approved on Oct. 21, planners representing both Invenergy and the township seemed to be in favour of the amendment, which will set rules and regulations for wind turbines.
“I’m fairly comfortable with the bylaw,” county planner Mark VanPatter said.
He agrees with some of the suggestions from Invenergy representative Derek Dudek, of the IBI Group, but said several details still need to be negotiated.
In particular, VanPatter and Dudek disagree about some of the setback distances in the document. For example, Dudek did not include a setback from vacant property, and VanPatter suggests a distance of 450 metres. However, VanPatter said, “I can see what they’re saying,” and he is open to negotiation on the topic.
IBI also did not want a minimum setback from woodlands, while VanPatter said he prefers to keep a setback of 30m in the bylaw.
VanPatter also refused to differentiate between county and township roads when it comes to how close turbines can be to local thoroughfares. He said a lot of township roads see a great deal of traffic and he preferred to keep the setback constant for all roads. IBI wanted setbacks to be 10 metres less for township roads than for county ones.
VanPatter also added a setback for livestock facilities on separate lots (200m), a maximum turbine height (125m), and a section to control advertising and signage – all areas IBI had not addressed.
Dudek had several things he wanted changed in the bylaw, including the removal of a maximum time period for testing towers.
The draft bylaw states test towers should be erected for no longer than one year, but Dudek explained towers are often required for up to three years, and in some cases, permanent testing is preferred.
Invenergy project manager Gary Pundsack said his company has met with all the landowners that will be affected by the proposed Conestogo Highlands Wind Energy Farm.
“There were some major issues we’ve had to overcome,” Pundsack said, noting most conversations centred around access roads and drainage tiles.
He added the current layout of turbines may change slightly after an acoustic engineer’s review and because a few are located on or near property lines.
But overall, Invenergy is ready to move forward, Pundsack said, and will soon host a public information session on the environmental assessment, with plans to break ground next year.
Paul Day said the bylaw amendment will not only permit the Invenergy farm, but also pave the way for future wind energy projects – and as such, the township should take more time to become better informed and to allow more public input.
“Everybody has a stake in this in Mapleton,” Day said. “I don’t think with such a major thing we should be rubber stamping it.”
The township also received a letter from residents Rick and Bonnie Bauman, who cited several concerns, including “constant turbine noise,” setback distances and mapping, the “flicker effect” created by rotating blades and sunlight, and decreased property values.
Council unanimously approved a resolution directing VanPatter to further review the document and bring it back for a council decision.
Mayor John Green said there will be another public meeting before council gives the bylaw amendment final consideration.
