Zoning Ordinance Amendment Update

The Steuben County Board of Commissioners have approved the following amendment to the Steuben County Zoning Ordinance:

A-09-03 An amendment to the Steuben County Zoning Ordinance concerning wind energy conversion systems and wind farms.

First Reading- December 21, 2009.
Second Reading- January 4, 2010.
Third Reading- January 4, 2010.

Much of the language is located in Section 09A of the zoning ordinance. Copies of the updated ordinance will be available shortly.

The Plan Commission would like to thank all those who contributed to the drafting and passage of the ordinance amendment.

Proposed Wind Ordinance Amendment

The proposed Wind Ordinance Amendment to the Steuben County Zoning Ordinance is now available online.

It is available from the "Home" tab on the Steuben County GIS or by clicking here.

It is also available for review at the Plan Commission Office, 317 S. Wayne, Suite 3L, Angola, IN.

The Steuben County Plan Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance amendment at their Wednesday, December 2, 2009, hearing.

Wind Presentation- Webstreaming

The Steuben County Plan Commission plans to live stream the wind presentation tonight, beginning at 5pm. The broadcast will be recorded and available for later viewing.

As this is the first time we will be attempting this, the Plan Commission asks for your patience if any technical issues interrupt or prevent the broadcast.

Click here to view the broadcast. It will open in a new window.

Wind Presentation

Interest in renewable energy has been growing across the country and especially in Indiana. For example, our state has increased wind power production faster than any other state over the past few years with output increasing from zero Megawatts before 2008 to over 1,000 Megawatts today.

Local community leaders have been investigating wind power and wind farms over the past year, taking field trips to the Benton County wind farms, participating in the Indiana Wind Working Group, and drafting new language for zoning ordinances to regulate wind turbines and wind farms.

The Steuben County Plan Commission is pleased to announce that Jimmy Bricker, Benton County Purdue Extension Agent, will be visiting Steuben County on Monday, November 2, starting at 5 pm. The presentation will be held in the Multi-purpose Room of the Steuben County Community Center, 317 S Wayne, Angola, IN.



Mr. Bricker is a member of the Benton County Plan Commission and worked on developing the first wind farms in the state. He has been speaking across Indiana and the country of his experiences and is frequently asked to provide his expertise to communities when wind farm development appears to be on the horizon.



Officials from Steuben County and the City of Angola will also be present to answer questions and take suggestions concerning their proposed wind ordinances beginning at 4:00pm.

Please contact the Steuben County Plan Commission at 260 668.1000 x1600 or plancommission@co.steuben.in.us if you have any questions.