Turbines Somehow Pass or ByPass Bylaws?

Cohasset -

To the editor:

I was astounded to hear about all the ways the CCI wind turbine project violates the town’s wind bylaw and zoning bylaws, and yet somehow still has life with the planning board. Among other violations:

· The turbines will generate about 10 to 20 percent more noise than allowed for at the property lines, particularly next to the residences being built at Avalon.

The developer readily acknowledges this, yet expects the planning board to look beyond it.

· The two turbines are between 250 and 300 feet too close to residential lot lines, allowing them to fall on residentially-zoned property against the very specific wording of the bylaw. The developer readily acknowledges this, yet expects the planning board to look beyond it.

· According to one drawing, in the best case one turbine will infringe the industrial zoning setback by 30 feet, and in the worst case it will hang over the lot line by 8 feet.

These are significant and material violations that everyone seems to agree on, without even going into the extensive concerns regarding safety, noise and shadow flicker that fly in the face of our bylaws and industry standards.

Why then is this application still alive? How it got this far is anyone’s guess, but it's time for the planning board to uphold the town's bylaws and deny this project unanimously once and for all. Otherwise, our bylaws aren’t worth the paper they are printed on and our votes aren't worth a nickel.