[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6152466,"mediaKeyId","5498372-def2c08427dfd648c617da5ec42cb664","parentId",5498372,"title","Grundy County zoning board recommends denial of Brisbane Solar LLC 2 MW community array at Brisbane Road interchange area","audioSeconds",439,"startMs",166000,"endMs",605000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5498372-def2c08427dfd648c617da5ec42cb664&start=166&end=605","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5498372-def2c08427dfd648c617da5ec42cb664/thumbnail_166000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6152466/Grundy-County/Illinois/Grundy-County-zoning-board-recommends-denial-of-Brisbane-Solar-LLC-2-MW-community-array-at-Brisbane-Road-interchange-area","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6152466-f1c4bfc26961b290b75fe6aee5e6e8a6/orig.mp4?Expires=1780075244&Signature=XbqZY0NwVHSowSNlSSs3epTkY4QNVbOMXpQPAFcgmJ85aQbAApCQa7D8TwfXWsNsAET1asI3YDxxCH~EPTLOstzTYjvK53BGAkvKA9iENn8GRu1~vb3gl5xkrpXSS42aIH0WhrEHE-gJFZy3G~GgjYkd9zwk1SrARrACWJCHLXzYtyZrlOXaJD5I9HYUFLuVG6G01dCxuFQDnplDxbhSiMfsCL6qJ-co4yUiQTYKjaGD-AbjxkQuLlF725ZHID5xIct9NA0XmcSYHYMvd4BIwgkhj8WE2ZTIaP1-6dGZ2bXz4RqlL3JU56JBdOvi~U8ismn0KNAwJJ3EFMmX3mdQcQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Grundy County, IL","date","2025-07-15T00:00:00Z","article","The Grundy County Zoning Board of Appeals voted to recommend denial of a special-use permit for Brisbane Solar LLC’s proposed ground-mounted community solar array, citing incompatibility with long-term planning around the Brisbane Road/Interstate 80 interchange.

The project before the board, identified in county materials as case 25ZBA007, would place a roughly 13.9-acre, 2-megawatt generating array on a 28.3-acre parcel in Saratoga Township (parcel ID 021340004). Developer materials submitted to the board describe a project with maximum panel array height of 13 feet, an 8-foot perimeter security fence, underground cabling to a pole connection with ComEd, pollinator-friendly revegetation, a decommissioning plan and a 20-year lease with a five-year extension option.

Why it matters: municipal officials, economic-development groups and nearby landowners told the board the parcel lies inside an area the city of Morris and surrounding jurisdictions have targeted for highway-oriented commercial and industrial growth. They argued placing a solar array at that precise interchange would undercut years of coordinated public investment intended to attract higher-impact industry and jobs to the corridor.

Developers’ presentation and approvals
Jim Griffin, attorney for the applicant, told the board the project “meets all of Grundy County’s requirements for a solar energy project” and is permitted in agricultural zoning as a special use. Hannah Uditis (business development manager, Nexamp) and Kelsey Sidris (civil engineer, Manhart Consulting) described environmental and technical work completed for the site: an NRI (natural-resources inventory) that rated the lease area as prime (the packet lists an NRI score of 99), an executed interconnection acknowledgement (packet receipt dated 07/15/2025 is included in the developer materials), a state agricultural impact-mitigation agreement (AIMA) and SHPO cultural-exemption documentation. The developer said an IEMA/environmental compliance package and plans for pollinator-friendly vegetation and remote monitoring are in the file; the packet also includes a draft decommissioning plan and a commitment to secure a decommissioning bond prior to construction.

Opposition from municipalities and business groups
Nancy Norton, president and CEO of the Grundy Economic Development Council, told the board the interchange was the result of more than a decade of collaborative investment and called the site “a prime spot for development, for manufacturing, commercial, industrial, other businesses.” Norton said the interchange had been built with roughly $25 million in targeted public investment and urged denial. The city of Morris (represented at the hearing by Chris Dirth and city planner Mike Hoffman) submitted a written objection and spoke in person; the city’s written materials and testimony emphasized that the city’s comprehensive plan and economic-development strategy designate the parcels in the interchange area for commercial or industrial business-park uses, not solar. The Grundy County Chamber of Commerce and the Grundy Economic Development Council also submitted letters of opposition; the packet included a letter from a state senator’s office raising similar planning and investment concerns.

Local residents and adjacent landowners raised site-specific concerns, including visibility from I-80, potential impacts to drainage tile and wildlife movement, the effect on property values and the claim that construction and long-term maintenance would bring little permanent employment or local spending. One nearby landowner, Mike Kinsella, identified himself in public comment as the property owner and said the lease is an economic decision for the owners.

Board discussion and outcome
Board members considered the eight LaSalle factors (capacity and compatibility with nearby zoning and land uses; diminution of property value by zoning restrictions; impacts on public health, safety and welfare; relative public gain versus hardship to the applicant; suitability of the subject property for current zoning; length of vacancy; consistency with the comprehensive plan; and benefits to community needs). Several trustees said the project satisfies many technical and environmental standards, but a majority told the record that the site’s designation and long-term public investment in the Brisbane Road interchange made this parcel an inappropriate location for a solar development.

A trustee moved to recommend denial; the motion was seconded and carried. The board’s formal action, as announced at the hearing, was to deny the application under the LaSalle factors and to forward the recommendation to the county Land Use Committee. The packet referenced a Land Use Committee meeting date of July 25 for further consideration.

Context and next steps
Developer materials in the record show the project team has completed multiple technical reviews (environmental, cultural, NRI), an interconnection filing and an AIMA; the developer maintained that the use is temporary and reversible, with decommissioning and recycling commitments. Opponents countered that the location’s long-standing designation for highway-oriented industrial uses and the public dollars already invested at the interchange outweigh those factors.

The Zoning Board of Appeals’ recommendation of denial will be forwarded to the county Land Use Committee for its review and any further recommendation to the full county board.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Zoning Board of Appeals Public Hearing 7/15/2025 7:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","The Grundy County Zoning Board of Appeals voted to recommend denial of a special-use permit for Brisbane Solar LLC’s proposed ground-mounted community solar array, citing incompatibility with long-term planning around the Brisbane Road/Interstate 80 interchange.","taxTitle","Grundy County, Illinois","taxId",73166,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6152461,"Lightstar Renewables 5 MW proposal near Brisbane Road interchange recommended for denial by Grundy County zoning board",2104,3748000,5852000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5498372-def2c08427dfd648c617da5ec42cb664&start=3748&end=5852","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5498372-def2c08427dfd648c617da5ec42cb664/thumbnail_3748000.jpg","/articles/6152461/Grundy-County/Illinois/Lightstar-Renewables-5-MW-proposal-near-Brisbane-Road-interchange-recommended-for-denial-by-Grundy-County-zoning-board","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6152461-0152e7ef0660c660346e6ec2d8e7e45f/orig.mp4?Expires=1780075244&Signature=LYiembC02i3BOHT4KpWeNjJPAJDU6Jm2YRgM4Sw0J1c63mKQdfFDxL1Sf7Fw7o4Dw~td7CsALdkK1kz-A~nEcgJUADQd5sGr2ZJUJc2lyxIwQ05fMD2xe-YxooCnMfVtAH5pfqHdq6arJJKEsC~FEh5vE8v8XhPlGlIwsBRDMhnj8WAuw~3U-mwMgqKvpolnOzAaRpRY744tGz1Rl7TbSn8BGP-zh87sqQWQWt9XF9H2vHQhn~rZW~7JwcLfssw1hxSAOC3J5EUqxkj0HI9ppfcmUpZ2X-kOlcWHBvuDamxgATackI4Met0ATG3oHpj9x8itEoqBoO9iLI5WgD9sdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Grundy County Zoning Board of Appeals voted to recommend denial of a special-use permit for East North Road Aux Sable LLC (doing business as Lightstar Renewables) to construct a ground-mounted, tracking solar facility near the Brisbane Road/Interstate 80 interchange.

The project (case 25ZBA008) would install about 13,000 single-axis tracking modules on a fenced portion of a roughly 46.5-acre parcel in Aux Sable Township. Developer materials describe a generating capacity of about 7 megawatts DC (presented as a 5 MW AC project), a fenced service area under 35 acres, an access point from East North Road, pollinator-friendly revegetation, a tile-repair plan and an executed agricultural impact-mitigation agreement. The packet lists an NRI score of about 90.86 and a 20-year lease with a five-year extension option.

Why it matters: municipal officials and economic-development organizations argued the parcel lies within an area municipalities and the county have designated for industrial and commercial uses tied to the Brisbane Road interchange, and they opposed introducing solar in that corridor because they say it would limit long-term economic development and job growth.

Developer presentation and technical work
Kyle McAdam, representing Lightstar Renewables, said the proposal is for a distributed-generation/community-scale site of about 5 MW AC and that Lightstar would design, construct and operate the facility long term. Patricia Cusiela of Manhard/Manhart Consulting described the proposed tracker layout, a seven-foot fence, transformer/inverter pads, access drives and drainage-tile mapping and mitigation. The developer presented completed studies and filings the packet lists: wetland delineation (no wetlands on the lease area), threatened-and-endangered-species reviews (including EcoCat), a cultural-exemption from SHPO, an executed interconnection comment/service agreement and the AIMA.

Municipal and economic-development opposition
Representatives from the village of Minooka (Dan Duffy, village administrator), the village of Manuka and the City of Morris appeared in opposition. Duffy told the board that Minooka has designated alternative locations for solar within its planning area and that the village is not generally anti-solar but opposes this project because it conflicts with long-term local land-use plans and interchange investment. The Grundy Economic Development Council, the Grundy County Chamber and a state senator’s office submitted written objections raising similar points.

Developer response on siting logic
Kyle McAdam said the project team had examined alternative parcels flagged by Minooka and others but that interconnection capacity with ComEd made those sites infeasible without substantial upgrade costs. He argued the East North Road site is compatible with surrounding uses, could provide local distributed generation support for future energy-intensive industry and is reversible at the end of the lease term.

Board discussion and outcome
The board again worked through the LaSalle factors. Several trustees and public commenters said the parcel’s inclusion in long-range plans for highway-oriented industrial development made it inappropriate for a solar special use. A trustee moved to recommend denial to the county board; the motion was seconded and the board announced the motion carried. The hearing record includes a statement that the board’s LaSalle-factor analysis found the proposal inconsistent with the comprehensive plan and community economic objectives.

Context and next steps
Developers submitted environmental, cultural and interconnection materials and an AIMA; they said the site would be pollinator-friendly and would include decommissioning measures and financial security. Municipal governments and development groups argued those benefits do not outweigh the site’s value to long-term industrial planning at the Brisbane Road interchange. The Zoning Board of Appeals’ recommendation to deny will be included in materials forwarded to the county Land Use Committee and the county board for further action.

","The Grundy County Zoning Board of Appeals recommended denial of a special-use permit for a proposed 5-megawatt ground-mounted solar project (case 25ZBA008) by East North Road Aux Sable LLC (Lightstar Renewables), after municipal leaders said the parcel conflicts with long-term industrial and commercial plans for the Brisbane Road/","actionData","errors"]

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Grundy County zoning board recommends denial of Brisbane Solar LLC 2 MW community array at Brisbane Road interchange area

Lightstar Renewables 5 MW proposal near Brisbane Road interchange recommended for denial by Grundy County zoning board