LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Uxbridge turbine ban extended; Builders have threatened OMB appeal 

Residents will not see any large-scale turbines spinning in Uxbridge for at least another year, after a bylaw was passed Monday morning.

Council adopted a recommendation from Heather Brooks, manager of development services, to extend a bylaw set last December prohibiting wind structures over 144 feet tall for a year, to allow the Township time to develop a policy and Official Plan amendments in regard to them.

The turbine policy, adopted following public review in September, states large commercial turbines are allowed outside Uxbridge’s urban area so long as the builder mitigates any visual or lighting or other physical impacts including shadow flicker impacts, electromagnetic impacts and overshadowing, all concerns raised at prior public meetings regarding a planned wind farm project at 10700 Durham Rd. 1.

But the Township was served notice in October from David Winnitoy, solicitor for Michael Gerstner, property owner of the property, challenging the Official Plan amendments. Mr. Gerstner, along with Indigo Wind Energy Systems Inc., plans to erect three, 320-foot commercial turbines on the land.

The hand-delivered notice also included application for an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing on the matter. Mr. Winnitoy argues that, “Official Plan Amendment (No. 40) is not consistent with the policies set out in the Provincial Policy Statement, 2005.

“The policies in (the amendment) are vague in that they require visual, noise, shadow flicker, electromagnetic interference, overshadowing and other physical impacts of Wind Power Facilities to be appropriately mitigated without providing any indication as to what level of mitigation is appropriate, nor recognizing that it may not be possible or necessary to mitigate all impacts.”

At council’s meeting Monday, Dec. 11, Chief Administrative Officer Alex Grant said there is only “a potential of an (OMB) hearing.” Ms. Brook’s report from the same meeting notes “an appeal to the Official Plan Amendment was received and has been forwarded to the (OMB). A hearing date has not been set.”

Mr. Grant noted an application from Mr. Gerstner to actually build the turbines has not yet been received by the Township.

Mr. Gerstner and his wife Phyllis, threatened to take Uxbridge to the OMB following the passing of the first interim control bylaw passed last December. But in late May, the Township entered into a ‘minutes of settlement’ with the Gerstners, who subsequently dropped the appeal. The agreement outlined that the Township would keep the Gerstners informed of its environmental screening and turbine testing process in return for withdrawal from the OMB process.

“We believe in the sincerity of the Township,” Ms. Gerstner previously told the Times-Journal.

By Jeff Hayward Staff Writer

durhamregion.com

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon