Forum on Industrial Wind Considers Property Values Slated for January 17 in Grafton, Vermont

Forum on Industrial Wind Considers Property Values
Slated for January 17 in Grafton, Vermont

DANBY, VT—A public forum on the impact of industrial wind towers on property values will take place on Friday, January 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the White Church, 55 Main Street, Grafton. This is the second of three forums on Wind Development in Rural Communities sponsored by Vermonters for a Clean Environment, a statewide not-for-profit organization.

Michael McCann, a professional real estate appraiser, will be the main speaker. McCann is a Chicago based appraiser who has studied and appraised wind project impacts on property values from coast to coast, and has qualified and testified as an expert witness on this subject before various zoning boards, siting committees and litigated cases.

He brings 8 years of wind experience to Grafton on January 17, and will provide vital insight into the growing evidence of value impacts. He will inform attendees regarding appropriate methodology for such evaluations that meet professional and legal standards of evidence. He will present examples of independent value study results as well as wind industry funded studies, and provide a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies used.

Seminar attendees are advised that McCann is an unbiased professional, and is not an anti-wind spokesman or activist as some in the pro-wind industry have characterized him. His blunt and transparent studies have, however, effectively debunked the industry claim of “NO VALUE IMPACT”.

Joining Mike on the panel will be Vermont residents who live near the wind turbine project on Georgia Mountain and have experienced first-hand the impact on their property values. Annette Smith, Executive Director of VCE will facilitate.

Iberdrola Renewables, the fourth largest energy company in the world, has recently erected three MET towers (test towers), two in Windham and one in Grafton on land owned by New Hampshire-based Meadowsend Timberlands Limited. The towers are likely a precursor to an application for Windham County’s first utility-scale wind turbine development.

All are welcome to attend this free event. Pizza and beverages will be served.
The next forum on the impacts of industrial wind will be held on Friday evening, February 21.

Vermonters for a Clean Environment is a statewide non-profit environmental advocacy organization that focuses on ensuring citizens have a voice in the permitting, regulatory, and legislative processes.