Zoning Board To Decide On Walmart Windmills

OmniWind Energy Systems, LLC will be approaching the zoning Board of Adjustment this evening at 7 p.m. with their plan to install wind turbines in the parking lot of the Lanoka Harbor Walmart.

Walmart is launching a pilot cost-saving program with OmniWind at four stores across the country. The company would install windmills in the store's parking lots to supply electric energy to the buildings.

According to the application, OmniWind would replace 14 existing light poles with stronger poles, reinstall the light fixtures at the current height, and install small turbines and related equipment.

The applicant is seeking to get variance approval from the zoning board to extend the lighting poles to 51 feet, although code currently allows poles to rise to only 35 feet.

Each pole would have multi-bladed fans encased with a metal frame resting on a rotatable device that allows them to turn to face the wind. The blades would be 6.5 to 8 feet long.

The application argues that according to the Sica balancing tests, which analyzes the potential public benefits and possible detrimental effects, a wind generating facility is inherently a beneficial use. If the zoning board disagrees, OmniWind would have to make a case for the positive benefits of such turbines. 

According to the applicant, the existing wiring will be used so trenching is not necessary. The only potential detriment the applicant noted was the visual impact of installing windmills.

For more information on the wind turbines, read “"