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Community Corner

Stop & Shops proposed 400' high (above sea level) Industrial Wind Turbine

August 20, 2013

Residents of Plymouth,

 

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On Wednesday, the Plymouth Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) was to continue its hearing on Stop & Shop’s (S&S) request for a Special Permit to erect a 275.6 foot Industrial Wind Turbine, at Myles Standish Plaza with three 95 foot blades that can spin up to 200 miles an hour. S&S presented its request to the ZBA on June 19, 2013, after the Planning Board did not recommend approval to the ZBA on S&S request. This public meeting, however, has been postponed by the ZBA to September.

The By-Law, under which this Special Permit (to erect up to 350 foot high Industrial Wind Turbines) is being requested specifically states in part, that there will be no nuisance or adverse effects upon the neighborhood (where it is to be located) and that wind facilities should minimize the impact on the character of neighborhoods, on property values....)

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However, a national real estate expert testified on June 19th to the ZBA that his studies showed home values are 20% to 25% less if located an average distance of 2,618 feet or within 2 miles respectively from Industrial Wind Turbines. In addition, another nine year study in upstate New York, issued in 2011 involving 11,369 homes, showed that decreasing the distance to the nearest turbine to 1 mile results in a decline in price (of homes) of between 7.73% and 14.7%. Plymouth property, on roads that are all or partially located within a mile from the proposed turbine, have assessed real estate valuations of over 470 million dollars. Assuming just a ten per-cent loss in value, the approval by ZBA could cost these Plymouth property owners over 47 million dollars. In addition, S&S may receive up 60% of the cost of installing the turbine in grants and tax credits, funded by US taxpayers. Plymouth property owners should not have to lose millions to save S&S owners a miniscule and undisclosed sum. Simply put, the costs to these Plymouth property owners will far exceeds any benefits to S&S.

Contributing to the potential loss in property values, if the project is approved, a sound expert is expected to testify, at the next hearing, that S&S proposed turbine will not meet state and local noise requirements. Moreover, MassDEP sent a letter to the Town stating in part that “…MassDEP cannot make a definitive finding that the project, as presently configured, will comply with MassDEP’s noise policy.”

Algonquin Height’s is adamantly opposed to the placement of this industrial wind turbine 450 feet from where over 200 families and 600 hundred residents reside, including 300 hundred children. It is a sad commentary that a neighborhood grocery store would chose to threaten the health and well-being of neighbors within a mile of its location with noise, a constant flickering/strobe FAA red light, the potential loss of millions of dollars in property values and significant nuisances, if not health problems to hundreds, if not thousands, to pocket a comparative pittance. Moreover, it is particularly egregious to me to make families and seniors who are economically disadvantaged bear the brunt of the nuisances and documented health problems for S&S unabashed greed.

Please help us and our neighbors save the neighborhoods within a mile of the site by attending the ZBA meeting in September and asking ZBA members to say NO!

SEE the Web site HTTP://STOPTHETURBINE.COM for detailed and updated information.

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