Yeah at this stage in the game (what 3 years, or almost 3 years into the mod), starting someone out at level 30 with decent gear isn't going to hurt. As long as it's their first char on the account, and not some veteran's new char they created.
I think it would be a great way to get people to stick with the mod. And they'd still have 4.5 million XP to retire at 31 (first gen grind is always the worst)