Residential windmill approved for Phoenix
Structure will be first in the county
By Pat van den Beemt
Posted 7/18/08
Baltimore County's first residential windmill got the go-ahead from deputy Zoning Commissioner Thomas Bostwick July 17 when he approved a height and location variance for the 120-foot structure.
Bostwick said Barry and Urszula Antonelli can build the windmill in the side yard instead of the rear yard of a house they are building on Cooper Road in Phoenix.
Because the county does not have zoning regulations for windmills, it is considered an accessory structure. Accessory structures have a maximum height of 15 feet; Bostwick granted the variance of 120 feet.
He said the size and topography of the property — 59 acres of agriculturally zoned land — should mitigate the tower's visual and sound impact on neighbors on Cooperstown Court and Cooper Road who opposed the windmill at a June 16 hearing.
"We are pleased and we're in a go-mode now," Barry Antonelli said July 18. "Our dream has always been to build a hybrid house, and this is a key component to that."
The Antonellis, who now live in Monkton, are building an energy-saving house that will use solar power, geothermal heat pumps and wind-produced electricity.
To work at 100 percent efficiency, the windmill must be 120 feet tall, testified Tim Fluharty, a windmill technician, at the June 16 hearing. At 90 feet tall, it would work at 75 percent efficiency, he testified.
Because the county's future regulations on windmills are not yet complete, Bostwick said, "Unless superceded (sic) by subsequent legislation providing amendments to the zoning regulations pertaining to the construction, maintenance, and location of small wind energy systems, the small wind energy system granted herein shall comply with the following ... ."
He then imposed restrictions such as the monopole tower be located 1.1 times its height from roads, neighboring property and utility lines; it not be lighted unless required by the Federal Aviation Administration; and if it is not used for six months, it is to be removed at the owner's expense.
Any appeal of his decision must be filed with the Baltimore County Board of Appeals within 30 days from the decision.
pvdb@comcast.net
Bostwick said Barry and Urszula Antonelli can build the windmill in the side yard instead of the rear yard of a house they are building on Cooper Road in Phoenix.
Because the county does not have zoning regulations for windmills, it is considered an accessory structure. Accessory structures have a maximum height of 15 feet; Bostwick granted the variance of 120 feet.
He said the size and topography of the property — 59 acres of agriculturally zoned land — should mitigate the tower's visual and sound impact on neighbors on Cooperstown Court and Cooper Road who opposed the windmill at a June 16 hearing.
"We are pleased and we're in a go-mode now," Barry Antonelli said July 18. "Our dream has always been to build a hybrid house, and this is a key component to that."
The Antonellis, who now live in Monkton, are building an energy-saving house that will use solar power, geothermal heat pumps and wind-produced electricity.
To work at 100 percent efficiency, the windmill must be 120 feet tall, testified Tim Fluharty, a windmill technician, at the June 16 hearing. At 90 feet tall, it would work at 75 percent efficiency, he testified.
Because the county's future regulations on windmills are not yet complete, Bostwick said, "Unless superceded (sic) by subsequent legislation providing amendments to the zoning regulations pertaining to the construction, maintenance, and location of small wind energy systems, the small wind energy system granted herein shall comply with the following ... ."
He then imposed restrictions such as the monopole tower be located 1.1 times its height from roads, neighboring property and utility lines; it not be lighted unless required by the Federal Aviation Administration; and if it is not used for six months, it is to be removed at the owner's expense.
Any appeal of his decision must be filed with the Baltimore County Board of Appeals within 30 days from the decision.
pvdb@comcast.net
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