A. When and if allowed as a special use in the O/R Planned Office/Research zoning district established in this Zoning Code, Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS), shall conform, in addition to all other applicable municipal code provisions, to the following:
1. Maximum tower height: sixty (60) feet measured from the grade surrounding the support pad(s) to the base of the wind generator of the WECS measured along the vertical axis of the tower.
2. Minimum tower setback distance from nearest property line: a distance measured from the mean grade surrounding the support pad(s) to the tip of a blade in vertical position measured along the vertical axis of the tower.
3. Minimum distance from guy wire to any given lot line: seventy-five (75) feet.
4. Blade color: white or light gray.
5. Tower access. The tower shall be made inaccessible to unauthorized personnel.
B. Submission requirements. The application for a special use permit for WECS shall be accompanied by the following documents in addition to other documents required by this Chapter:
1. A site plan of the lot upon which the WECS is proposed to be located, prepared and stamped by an Illinois licensed land surveyor, indicating the location of the proposed WECS, existing and proposed structures, aboveground utility lines and any other significant features or appurtenances.
2. Structural drawings, prepared and stamped by a registered professional engineer, of the wind tower, including pad design and guy wire design, if applicable; as well as drawings that demonstrate the method of making the tower inaccessible to unauthorized personnel.
3. Drawings and specifications, prepared and stamped by a registered professional engineer, of the generator, hub and blades, electrical support facilities, including transformers, cables and control devices.
4. Sufficient data and documentation to establish that the WECS will not produce noise levels in excess of those sound standards contained in the O/R Planned Office/Research District.
5. Sufficient data and documentation to establish that the installation will not cause electromagnetic interference.
C. Upon the issuance of any given special use permit and after building permit plans have been approved and the WECS has been installed, the operation of the WECS shall comply with the following regulations, whether or not the ordinance granting the special use permit contains or alludes to them:
1. Noise control.
a. Following construction of the WECS, the Building Official shall authorize a person to perform and record sound measurements of ambient and maximum permitted decibels emitted by the WECS to determine ambient and operating decibel levels.
1) Decibel level readings shall be measured at the closest lot line to the WECS and the sound level shall be measured on a sound level meter using the "A-weighing network".
2) If maximum readings are exceeded in violation of Section 15.1405 A. of this Chapter, the installation shall be considered a public nuisance, which shall be abated immediately.
b. At any time after the installation of a WECS, upon his receipt of a complaint from an owner of land adjacent to the lot upon which the WECS is located, the Building Official shall authorize a person to perform and record measurements of ambient and maximum permitted decibels.
1) Following such recordation, such person shall submit a report of such sound measurements to the Building Official for his review.
2) The costs for the measuring and recordation services shall be paid by the complainant unless maximum permitted decibel readings have been exceeded, in which case the WECS owner shall pay the costs.
3) Any violation shall be corrected within ninety (90) days time from the date of the report, and if the noise violation cannot be remedied, the WECS shall be removed within that time.
2. Electromagnetic interference. The WECS installation shall comply with Federal Communications Commission Regulation 47 CFR 15.
a. Whenever an owner of land in the vicinity of the lot upon which the WECS is located complains to the Building Official that such WCS is generating electromagnetic interference, the Building Official shall authorize a person to perform an investigation of the existence of such electromagnetic interference.
1) Following such investigation, such person shall submit a report of his findings to the Building Official his for review.
2) The costs for the investigation services in connection with such complaint of such electromagnetic interference shall be paid by the complainant unless there is non-compliance with Federal Communications Commission Regulation 47 CFR 15, in which case the WECS owner shall pay the costs.
b. If electromagnetic interference is being caused by a WECS, the installation shall be deemed in violation of this Section and the WECS shall be deemed a public nuisance, which shall be abated within ninety (90) days from the date of the report. If the electromagnetic interference cannot be remedied, the WECS shall be removed.
3. Abandonment. If the WECS for any reason fails to generate power for one (1) year or more, the Building Official shall cause the owner thereof to remove the WECS within ninety (90) days.
4. Maintenance. On the second anniversary of the issuance of the special use permit for the installation of any given WECS and every two (2) years thereafter, the owner of such WECS shall submit an Illinois licensed professional engineers' structural report to the Building Official certifying to the structural integrity of such WECS' wind generator, tower and the entire support system.
(Ord. 586, passed 5-15-2007)