Cape wind ban gets support

A wind-power moratorium on just a portion of a town doesn't make sense.

That's according to the Jefferson County Planning Board, which considered Cape Vincent's proposed six-month moratorium for wind power development in the lakefront and river front districts at its meeting Tuesday afternoon. The members of the board approved a townwide moratorium, which was not presented to them, rather than the town's proposed partial moratorium.

The county board, however, did not directly reject the town's proposal.

"They should look at all areas," said member Jon W. Storms.

When the Town Council introduced the moratorium idea July 9, it said it would protect the two districts which were never intended for wind power development.

"Currently, we have two projects under review in the ag district and we're not going to suspend those," Supervisor Tho-mas K. Rienbeck said at the time. "One is almost complete."

The riverfront district runs north of Route 12E, east of the village and to County Route 6 west of the village.

The lakefront district lies west of County Route 6, north of Mud Creek.

Those districts contain none of the proposed turbines in either the St. Lawrence Wind Farm or Cape Vincent Wind Farm projects.

"The Town Council acknowledges that the current zoning law is not equipped to review wind generating facilities," said Michael J. Bourcy, the county community development coordinator.

Mr. Bourcy was part of the town's most recent review of a zoning law, which was completed in January.

"The last draft we had wouldn't allow these uses in the (riverfront) or (lake front) districts," he said.

Until a law is adopted, all meteorological towers, personal windmills and commercial wind turbines are considered utilities, based on a decision from the town's Zoning Board of Appeals and may be placed anywhere in the town following a site plan review.

As part of the county Planning Board's comments, members reminded the town the state Department of State has said municipalities must make a valid argument for enacting any moratorium. Planning Board member Clifford J. Schneider, who is also a Cape Vincent resident, said, "Understanding that this is the biggest development in our county, I am dumbfounded to understand why they do not have a zoning amendment for it."

If the Planning Board had rejected the two-district moratorium, it would have forced the Town Council to approve it by at least a 4-1 vote.

Tuesday's approval of a moratorium with different boundaries acts only as a recommendation to the town.

The County Planning Board also approved a zoning amendment for the town of Watertown which combines the light industrial and business districts from the area bordering outer Coffeen Street south to the parcels surrounding outer Arsenal Street.

The new district is called "neighborhood commercial" and includes all of the light manufacturing and business uses previously allowed.

It also includes regulations on single-family and multi-family residences with minimum footprints and does not allow mobile homes.

The board encouraged the town to consider applying the new district in other business districts.

The board commented on and approved proposed regulations for Grindstone Island in the town of Clayton.

While the town told the board the regulations are meant to encourage a rural, low-density feel on the island, the board questioned whether uses including flea markets, self-storage, quarries and educational institutions meet that goal.