AMHERST — Wind turbines may soon be turning in Amherst County.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Amherst Planning Commission’s proposal to allow small wind energy use at its Tuesday meeting.Amherst is one among a list of localities that have changed zoning rules to allow wind turbines. Both Albemarle and Nelson counties recently passed legislation addressing wind energy.
The amendment allows wind turbines as a special exception use in districts zoned as agricultural-residential, commercial and industrial.
Board members made one alteration to the commission’s proposal, changing the setback requirement from the stated 200 feet to twice the overall height of the turbine plus the blade length.
Other rules for turbines are that they not exceed 100 feet in height and that protruding blades remain at least 15 feet off the ground. The turbines must also comply with the county’s noise ordinance.
Amherst’s director of planning and zoning, Jeremy Bryant, said that although no official applications for wind turbines have been received, several landowners have called to inquire about wind energy.
“Any time there’s a rise in energy costs, there will certainly be a need for alternative forms of energy,” Bryant said.
In other business:
Board members also discussed ways to solve lingering overcrowding problems within many county departments. The county has set aside $2.39 million to address space needs, a figure less than what they need to address the full scope of the problem.
“We don’t have enough money to meet all of our space needs — that’s a given,” County Administrator Lee Lintecum said at the meeting. “The basic question is what can you get for $2.39 million, because that’s all we have available.”
Supervisors consulted with Blair Smith of Dominion Seven Architects about the possibility of building a new facility within their budget.
Specifically, they asked Smith to come up with cost estimates for building a facility on county-owned property directly across from the county’s main administration building.
The site on Washington Street in Amherst still houses the former Amherst Baptist Church structure, which would have to be torn down if a new facility were to be built.
Although the allocated space on the property, approximately 13,000 square feet, might not address all of their space needs, board members said that it was imperative to move forward and work within their budget.
“I think we need to look at what our needs are versus what we want it to look like,” Supervisor Don Kidd said.
Supervisor Chris Adams agreed, saying, “We definitely need to move forward.”
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