More than 60 local residents were present for the Sabetha Planning and Zoning meeting, when the board voted unanimously to remove commercial wind generation facilities from the Sabetha’s “AG” Agricultural District Regulations Code. Others present at the Thursday, Jan. 3, meeting were Sabetha Planning and Zoning Commission members Jerry Johnson, David Koch, Lynn Hartter, Scott Wedel, Shannon Stapleton, Matt Heiman and Scott Krebs. Also present were City Administrator Doug Allen and Assistant City Administrator Bill Shroyer.
Currently, the City of Sabetha Land Development Code Article 2 Section 2-102 — which was adopted in September 2003 — states that commercial wind generation facilities are permitted within Sabetha’s extraterritorial area. Allen explained that the City Commission requested that the Planning Commission review this code. “The Sabetha City Commission has asked you as the Planning Commission to look into our extraterritorial district agricultural section as it is listed as permitted use for commercial wind generation facilities,” Allen said.
According to Allen, the Planning Commission needed to decided either to remove Commercial Wind Generation Facilities (item five) as a permitted use from the article; or it could be moved to be a conditional use, which would require a public hearing; or to prohibit Commercial Wind Generation Facilities from being put up in the extraterritorial district.
(Read more: Sabetha Herald)