Zoning on Allen Township ballot

FINDLAY — Allen Township voters will consider a zoning resolution in the May 6 primary election. If approved, the 80-page resolution would regulate all land uses: residential, agricultural, business and industrial, among them. But One Power Co.'s 262-foot wind turbine towers — and plans to expand and build more of them — are what ignited some residential neighbors to seek zoning for the largely rural township. Many residents have asked why the zoning resolution would regulate other things besides wind turbines and solar panels, said John Timmerman, chairman of the Allen Township Zoning Commission. "Zoning has to be comprehensive. It can't choose what topics you want to cover," he said. "It has to be comprehensive. That's why the book (zoning resolution) is way longer than just wind and solar." Besides limiting height and power capacity on new turbines to a fraction of the existing ones, the Allen Township plan would set stringent rules for distancing of wind turbines from property lines and between each other. It distinguishes between wind turbines as "accessory" — that is, those that support or are incidental to the primary use of the property, but are not the main purpose of the property; and wind turbines as the "primary" use — the principal or predominant purpose for which a property is used. The zoning resolution's regulations would not apply to wind turbines already in place. Turbines as primary New wind turbines could only be the primary use of a property in an "I-2 General Industrial" district, and the proposed plan would have only one such district. That would be the area dominated by the county landfill and bounded by County Road 140 on the west; Township Road 109 on the north; Township Road 142 on the east; and Township Road 107 on the south. When wind turbines would be the primary use, they would be limited to 60 feet in height and could produce up to 50 kilowatts of electricity. That's much smaller and a tiny fraction of the production capacity of One Power Co.'s turbines which supply energy to Whirlpool Corp. and Ball Corp. A wind turbine serving as the primary use of a property would have to be located at least 1,250 feet from any residential use. It also would have to be at least one mile — "nearest lot line to nearest lot line" — to any other wind turbine. The zoning plan includes additional regulations for wind turbines as a primary use. Turbines as accessory As an accessory use, wind turbines may be conditionally permitted by the township zoning commission in any zoning district. The turbine would be limited to 30 feet in height. It would not be permitted in the front yard or side yard of the property's principal use. It would have to be designed and located to produce no more than 40 decibels of sound, or comparable to a quiet library or a refrigerator humming. The zoning plan includes additional regulations for wind turbines as an accessory use. The proposed zoning resolution also has regulations for solar energy systems. Other land uses Timmerman said the zoning regulations on other land uses are not strict. "I have been told by many people that what we have proposed is very unrestrictive compared to most zoning," he said. For example, in residential areas, fences in a side or rear yard can be up to 8 feet high, he said. In the front yard of a residentially zoned property, a fence can be up to 4 feet high. Allen Township residents also will find the proposed rules on pole barns, "Accessory Buildings and Uses," on page 36 of the resolution, to be less restrictive than in other townships and municipalities, he said. Timmerman encouraged those wanting more details about the proposed zoning resolution to look at the proposed zoning map first, in order to see the proposed zoning classification of their property. A link to the map may be found at https://allentownship.com/ If one clicks on a green box, "Proposed Zoning Map," the map will appear. Once a resident has identified the zoning classification in which their property is located, they can go back to https://allentownship.com/ and click on the green box, "Proposed Zoning Book." A table of contents will help residents find the relevant section of the resolution for their property's zoning classification. Timmerman suggested two additional areas for quick reference: "Schedule of Regulations," which starts at page 28; and "General Provisions," which starts at page 33. It discusses "pole barns, fences, a lot of the stuff that people are looking for." In addition, even if approved by the voters, the zoning resolution may be changed later if someone makes a good case for it, Timmerman said. It all would start with the individual making a request to township officials. The township zoning commission and Hancock Regional Planning Commission would study it and each body would make a nonbinding recommendation to the township trustees. The trustees would make the final decision on whether to amend the zoning resolution.