The Reno County Planning Commission spent more than 45 minutes recently discussing how to approach regulating commercial wind farms in the county but ended up forwarding no recommendations to the Reno County Commission.
Instead, the board will wait for the commission to give it direction if it wishes to pursue the issue.
The idea of countywide zoning that would apply only to commercial wind and solar was suggested a few months ago when the county commission received a preliminary look at a Comprehensive Plan that the planning board was drafting. While zoning for wind developments would be a relatively simple thing to create, consultant Russ Ewy, of Baughman and Co. in Wichita, who is helping develop the county’s comprehensive plan, told the planning commission, requirements for public notices and public hearings prior to adoption would push the process out, “at a minimum, three months.”
(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)