Second Building Permit Revocation Could Knock Wind Out Of NK’s First Turbine
The town has once again pulled the building permit for NK Green.
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The Town of North Kingstown has once again revoked the building permit for North Kingstown Green, the would-be site of North Kingstown’s first wind turbine.
According to Town Planning Director Jon Reiner, the permit was pulled for the second time since April after town consultants Applied Science Associates found the Vestas V100 set to be installed at the site would not meet the required noise level (50 decibels) at the property line. In fact, according to ASA, the noise was carrying over into open space and “potentially” into other lots.
However, if Mark DePasquale (owner of developer Wind Energy Development LLC and property owner of the turbine’s slated site) changes the type of turbine he installs, this poses yet another problem. Following the North Kingstown Planning Commission’s vote last week, these changes would constitute a new application, thus falling under the town’s current moratorium on wind turbines and subject to an upcoming wind energy ordinance. Last week, the Planning Commission deemed changing the Stamp Farm turbine from a Vestas to Chinese-made Goldwind constituted a “significant change” and thus would be considered a new application.
“It appears he’s stuck right now,” said Reiner. “This can’t move forward and he can’t install the Vestas V100 on that property.”
According to WED spokesperson David Darlington, they are unsure of where the road will take them following this development. Following the resolution of the land swap that spurred the first revocation, the town stated the permit would be reinstated.
“Instead of getting the building permit reinstated, we get a further suspension of the permit on different grounds,” said Darlington, adding, “We’re first going to analyze what the town is doing and make sure Mark’s [DePasquale] rights are given due process as they seem to be getting trampled willy nilly here.”
Darlington also adds that the developer’s legal team will be looking into the matter to determine a “proper course” of action.
On the other side of the battle for wind energy in North Kingstown, the group of residents who have opposed the NK Green and Stamp Farm turbines look at the Planning Commission’s vote and the most recent permit revocation as victories.
“Obviously everyone involved from the residents’ side is ecstatic that the town appears to have found their senses in this whole thing and come to the right conclusion,” said Jeff Zucchi, who heads up No Residential Wind NK. “We are not getting ahead of ourselves or planning any victory laps.”
Looking ahead, the North Kingstown Town Council will get its first look at a draft of a new wind energy ordinance – an ordinance that, if passed, would be the third the town has had on the books less than a year. According to Reiner, the planning department will seek the guidance of the Town Council at its June 27 meeting regarding setbacks, height limits, noise levels and other issues. Though the town’s current ordinance does not cap the height of a turbine, Reiner suggests that the new draft would have a “much lower” height restriction.
Reiner believes that the council may extend the six-month moratorium on turbines, which is set to expire on July 10, to allow for public hearings and time for modifications.
Noreswindnk
10:38 pm on Wednesday, June 15, 2011
All residents,
THIS IS NOT OVER. We'll need anyone and everyone interested in the town at the June 27 town council meeting (Senior Center, 7pm). Remember, THIS is how the whole mess started last Sept. (planning and TC discussed the ordinance and passed it). This time we'll be there and we will advise the TC of our well researched standards for wind energy near NK families. Come with your well concieved comments.
WWW.NORESWINDNK.COM
NKGOP Watch
2:51 am on Thursday, June 16, 2011
WINDSCAM 2011, put together by nk republicans on the council, nk republican party, darlington is a member, legal rep joe white was a chairman of that party. and the republican council and the republican council's appointees scammed the original regs that allowed this hideous scam thing to happen AND THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING. all making money at the expense of a neighborhood.
by the way there is nothing republican about them. just a bunch of well-trained rodents who know how to scratch their way into your supplies and leave you with the little turds
(other than that i have nothing against the nk republicans)
Mike
8:43 am on Thursday, June 16, 2011
Do ya feel strongly about that, NKGOP? "(other than that i have nothing against the nk republicans)"
Nice to know!
Funny thing: as I was working against the turbines, I was accused of being a Tea Party member, a Conservative, a Republican, etc. Oddly enough, I was never accused of being a liberal.
Scott Madison
2:29 pm on Thursday, June 16, 2011
I think Mike and NKGOP Watch both are showing examples of how muddy politics can be.
In the public arena the "green" movement is perceived to be a liberal issue and wind power certainly falls in that category. However, I gather that the NK Town Council and the PC are made up of mostly Republicans, who up to the past few weeks were pushing for the turbine and in favor of the developer. Irony? No...as with anything, follow the money. The only irony here at the town level, or the state level, or even seen everyday at the federal level is that with alot of money being thrown around before during and after elections (legal and otherwise) that both parties serve one master, the same puppet behind the "green" movement, and that is the almighty greenback...cash. At the end of the day the taxpayer is usually the one holding the bag (and the bill) for whatever mess a conservative republican or a liberal democrat left behind.
Holding back on the mudslinging, I am proud of the NK citizens that were bold enough to stand up for themselves and their families. www.noreswindnk.com has been a great resource to shed light on what can happen (and has happened in other communities across the globe) when wind turbines have been installed to close to people's houses.
Scott Madison
2:29 pm on Thursday, June 16, 2011
I appreciate the PC and TC in their recent decisions regarding the NK wind turbine issue. I hope we see a much stricter wind ordinance put in place in the next few weeks and months.
Like ethanol, wind power is slowly becoming a shining example of "wasteful pork" where the payoff is not worth the resulting benefit.
Noreswindnk
3:03 pm on Thursday, June 16, 2011
Scott,
Thank you on your first comment and for holding back the mud as well.
On your second post, PLEASE DON'T "HOPE we see a stricter wind ordinance". Change it. We were never political people, any of us, however, we'll all be there to "ACT" in order to make certain we get a strict, new ordinance. We'd like to invite you and anyone else reading to please come with us and air your views to the council (you'll be given time at public comment) on 6/27. Stay in touch with www.noreswindnk.com for details on meeting date (currently planned 6/27 @7pm at the Senior Center).
NKGOP Watch
12:54 am on Saturday, July 2, 2011
Scott I respect your approach. I "sling mud" because I have found these people respond only to effect, not reason. While petty municipal leaches they are, the similarity is Reagan dealing with the Soviet leadership, who similarly understood only strength not reason.
As to green/liberal etc, no one is more green than me. In the last energy crisis in the late 1970's I was building green projects for science fair, and designed a theoretical pneumatic hybrid car that compresses gas when braking and releases it through a hydraulic transmission to reuse that energy, kind of like the miraculous mileage UPS truck that the EPA jointly developed recently.
But getting back to local politics, the NKGOP (old guard) are rotten municipal leaches out to pad their wallets and their ego's, either one will do.
When we fought to clean up the schools, some were "reasonable" nonpolitical, writing reasoned letters to the papers, etc. They never would have won alone. Some were willing to up the ante a little, call them (nkgop/halley skags) for what they are and really turn up the heat. It did seem to take all different participants and approaches to get the change we now benefit from.
This windmill is nothing more than scumbags taking advantage of a loophole at the expense of real people. And the TC and their minions aiding and abetting.