Johnson County votes on wind farm, greenhouse ordinances

IOWA CITY – Johnson County is moving forward with an ordinance allowing wind farms on agricultural land.

The Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Thursday in support of the second reading of an ordinance governing commercial wind-energy facilities, said Andy Johnson, the board's executive assistant.  One more vote is required for the ordinance to be adopted.

The ordinance requires the facilities to receive a permit from the county and submit a plan to minimize shadow flicker from wind turbines on occupied buildings.

Also, the sound from wind farms could not exceed 55 decibels as measured from the exterior of an occupied building of a nonparticipating landowner and wind turbines must be at least 1,000 feet from the nearest occupied building and 500 feet from property lines. The setbacks for participating property owners is 1.1 times the height of the turbine.

The county took up the issue after Chicago-based PNE WIND USA said it wanted to build up to 20 wind turbines on about 3,000 acres of land east of Solon by 2013.

The board on Thursday also unanimously approved the first two of three considerations of an ordinance that would exempt certain greenhouses and hoop buildings from the building code, Johnson said.

The intent is to help Amish farmers. Farms are exempt from building codes, but Johnson County defines a farm as property of 40 acres or more used for agricultural purposes, and many Amish farm smaller parcels.

The Amish want to use greenhouses to grow plants and vegetables to sell. The ordinance would allow membrane-covered structures no larger than 7,200 square feet that meet manufacturers' specifications to be located on properties zoned for agriculture, agriculture-residential and residential.

Only structures used for private homeowner operations or the wholesale of plant products would be allowed.