WEST CAPE MAY — Borough Commission passed two ordinances Wednesday Feb. 25 regulating installation of wind turbines and solar energy panels and setting fees for applications to install the alternative energy devices.
The ordinance governing application and escrow fees specifies an application fee of $500 for a wind turbine or ground based solar system with a $1,200 escrow deposit and a $250 application fee and a $1,000 escrow deposit for wind turbines and ground based solar arrays with a minor site plan.
Mayor Pamela Kathern said unless an applicant has an application that does not conform to the requirements, they do not have to go to the Planning and Zoning Board. She said the application fees and escrow deposits would only be necessary if the applicant comes to the zoning officer and their proposal does not comply.
Commission reduced a $500 zoning permit fee, which would be required for all wind solar applications, to $50 for rooftop solar installation and $100 for wind/ground solar installations.
Kaithern said the borough wanted to encourage installation of alternative energy systems.
Normal construction permitting and inspection fees for the project would apply which is handled by Cape May’s Construction Office, she said.
The ordinances class wind and solar systems as an accessory use.
At a Feb. 11 meeting, commission discussed allowing wind turbines as high as 80 feet and requiring a minimal three-quarter lot for a wind installation but it did not amend the ordinance Wednesday keeping a maximum height limit of 50 feet and allowing installations on half-acre lots.
At the Feb. 11 meeting, commissioners also discussed allowing more than one wind turbine on farms. The ordinance as passed allows only one wind turbine per property.
A farm owner could apply for a variance to install more than one wind turbine, said the mayor.
Other highlights of the ordinances:
• For lots between one acre and three acres, wind turbines shall be set back from all property lines a distance equal to 100 percent of the height of the structure including the blades.
For lots larger than three acres, wind turbines shall be set back from all property lines a distance of equal to 200 percent of the height of the structure including the blades. No portion of the wind generator shall extend beyond any overhead utility lines, unless written permission is granted by the utility.
• Wind turbines shall not be permitted in any front yard.
• Wind turbines shall not be permitted as a rooftop installation.
•Noise: between a residential use or zone, sound levels of the wind energy system shall not exceed 42 dBA at a common property line or 30 dBA to the closest occupied structure, whichever is most restrictive. In all other cases at a common property line sound levels of the wind energy system shall not exceed 50 dBA.
• The structural design shall be signed and sealed by a professional engineer registered in the State of New Jersey. The support tower shall be designed to survive a wind of 120 mph with a three second, 140 mph gust.
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