Boone County discusses zoning wind turbines

The Boone County Zoning Commission met for a work session Tuesday evening to discuss wind turbine zoning rules.

The commission considered the minimum setback distance between a turbine and a person’s property line. Setback distances ranged from 1,000 to 2,500 feet.

“The wind turbine companies have got one preference and the property owners have got another,” said Boone County Planning and Zoning Chairperson Boyd Harris.

He said it’s difficult to choose a setback distance that will please everyone.

“No one will get exactly what they want but that’s the way sometimes regulations work,” he said.

He said the commission will likely recommend a distance around 1,750 feet.

“In the middle of the road is likely where we will end up as far as setback distances go,” he said.

Some mid-Missouri residents said they’re concerned about the potential for wind turbines in mid-Missouri.

“They’re enormous and they’re industrial,” said Nirtana Susan Goodman, a member of Concerned Citizens of Boone, Howard and Cooper County. “It won’t be an agricultural area anymore if you turn it into an industrial area.”

She said she believes a larger setback distance is needed.

The commission said it plans to hold another work session in mid to late August.