Local City in Maine to Amend Ordinance to allow Wind Towers

Windmill rules are in the works

Mount Desert Islander (ME)October 3, 2008www.mdislander.comBy Robert Levin
BAR HARBOR — Work is under way on a new land-use ordinance that would allow the construction of freestanding wind turbines in many zoning districts here.

The first draft of the windmill ordinance should be completed within the next two months, after which it will go to the planning board, town council, and town department heads for comment, said staff planner Kris Hultgren, who is writing the document. The goal is to have a final draft in place for voters to weigh in on at the annual town meeting in June 2009.

Work on the regulation began after several people expressed an interest in erecting a tower for a turbine, but found that under existing rules they would not be able to do so, Mr. Hultgren said. The subject also was raised last year during discussions surrounding the cell phone tower ordinance, which voters approved in June. At the time, planning director Anne Krieg said an ordinance regulating wind turbines would be next.

Under current zoning rules, residents must comply with a 40-foot maximum height restriction on all structures on their property. Items that, by necessity, extend higher than the roofline, such as antennas, chimneys, and turrets are exempted from the rule. Freestanding towers, like those necessary to support a wind turbine, are not.

Typically, a minimum height of 80 to 100 feet is necessary for a wind turbine to function well. Bar Harbor’s ordinance likely will allow a height in that range, Mr. Hultgren said, following other Maine towns that have enacted such a rule.


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