The Impact of Wind Power Projects on Residential Property Values ...

elatively high elevations <strong>of</strong> all <strong>of</strong> the towns, this area enjoys winter recreation, though the coal
industry, which once dominated the area, is still an integral part <strong>of</strong> the community with mining
occurring in many places up and down the ridges. Although many <strong>of</strong> the home sales in the
sample occurred in the towns, a number <strong>of</strong> the sales are for homes situated outside <strong>of</strong> town
corresponding to either rural, rural residential, or suburban land uses.
Data Collection and Summary
<strong>The</strong> County Assessor, Jane Risso, was extremely helpful, and assisted in providing sales and
home characteristic data. Glen Wagner, the IT director, worked with Gary Zigler, the county
GIS specialist, to extract both GIS and assessment data from the county records. Both Gary and
Jane were extremely helpful in fielding questions and providing additional information as needs
arose.
<strong>The</strong> county provided a total <strong>of</strong> 742 valid residential single-family home sales transactions within
four miles <strong>of</strong> the nearest wind turbine. All <strong>of</strong> the sales within three miles were used (n = 296),
and a random sample (~ 44%) <strong>of</strong> those between three and four miles were used, yielding a total
<strong>of</strong> 494 sales that occurred between May 1997 and March 2007. <strong>The</strong>se sales ranged in price from
$12,000 to $360,000, with a mean <strong>of</strong> $69,770. 291 sales (~ 60% <strong>of</strong> the 494) occurred after
construction commenced on the nearest wind facility. Of these 291 sales, 73 have views <strong>of</strong> the
turbines, 18 <strong>of</strong> which are more dramatic than MINOR, and 35 sales occurred within one mile. 109
Area Statistics
Study Period Study Period Number <strong>of</strong> Median Mean Minimum Maximum
Begin End Sales Price Price Price Price
5/1/1997 3/1/2007 494 $62,000 $69,770 $12,000 $360,000
Facility Statistics
Facility Name
Number <strong>of</strong>
MW
Number <strong>of</strong>
Turbines
Announce
Date
Construction
Begin Date
Completion
Date
Turbine
Maker
Hub Height
(Meters)
GreenMountain <strong>Wind</strong> Farm 10.4 8 Jun-99 Dec-99 May-00 Nordex 60
Somerset 9.0 6 Apr-01 Jun-01 Oct-01 Enron 64
Meyersdale 30.0 20 Jan-03 Sep-03 Dec-03 NEG Micon 80
Source: AWEA & Ventyx Inc.
109 This study area was one <strong>of</strong> the earliest to have field work completed, and therefore the field data collection
process was slower resulting in a lower number <strong>of</strong> transactions than many other study areas.
103