Village of Flower Hill Is Going Green

The Village of Flower Hill enacted two laws at its most recent Board of Trustees meeting on Monday night that continue its move towards going green.

Both Local Law A (Solar Energy Collection Systems) and Local Law B (Wind Turbines) went into effect immediately and will affect all residents within the boundaries of Flower Hill, whether they live in the part of the village in Port Washington, Manhasset or Roslyn.

The intent of both Local Law A and B is "to accommodate alternative and renewable forms of energy production within the village, while regulating the visual impacts of any such form," according to a document issued by the Village of Flower Hill at Monday's meeting.

Flower Hill Code Enforcer Robert Rockelein said the enactment of these laws was to essentially promote green energy as well as preserve the "residential character" of the village. "Because these alternative energy uses are lowering costs and are more attractive, people are looking for other options like this," Rockelein said. "And, of course, green options are the big buzz word these days. Solar panels avail people to greater options that did not exist in the past."

The choice to go green, however, does have its limitations. Those wishing to install solar panels on their property must comply with several regulations which were put in place to keep neighboring homeowners happy, according to Rockelein. He compared the restrictions on solar panels and wind turbines to those now put on cell phone towers. "They are just like cell phone towers," he said. "They emerged a decade or two ago, and were something that was not included by definition or individualities. And you need to control them, otherwise you end up with 500-foot cell phone towers all over Long Island."

Rockelein added, "I don't think people would enjoy looking at them. So you're looking to establish regulations and guidelines so that excesses don't become the norm."

Should a Flower Hill resident wish to install an alternative energy system, the applicant must be made aware of  and comply with these codes. "An application would be denied if it exceeds anything in the code," Rockelein said, "whether it be by height or location or design or such."

Rockelein explained that residents can seek a variance from the Village Zoning Board of Appeals and that if they do have a hardship that the board will examine the merits and needs of the exception in each individual case. "So if you're in a valley and you need an extra 10 feet of height or if you have a lot of shade there and you need the solar panels located in a non-conforming location, the zoning board will say maybe this is something that we will allow in this circumstance," he said.

Although residents who wish to go green and use alternative energy will have to be in compliance with rules strictly enforced by the village, members of the board have made it clear that they will do their best to accommodate these citizens.

"The important thing to remember is that this is going on everywhere," Rockelein said. "It's not just Port Washington, it's all over Long Island. It's the emergence and desire for people to have green alternative energy sources."