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Committee moves multiple rezones, special‑use petitions and R‑district amendments toward county board
Summary
The committee advanced several zoning petitions — rezones, a special‑use denial recommendation, lot resubdivisions and an R‑district livestock/chicken amendment — and staff reported three solar projects are nearing building permits.
Lee County committee members voted unanimously at their Sept. 9, 2025 meeting to forward multiple zoning petitions and planning‑commission items to the executive committee for inclusion on the September county board agenda.
Alice, a zoning office staff member who presented the items, outlined three petitions from the zoning hearing officer and several planning commission items. “They had a residentially an R‑2 zone parcel. They requested to go from R‑2 to R‑1 for the purpose of having a horse,” Alice said, describing petition number 25P1647 by Donald and Annette Early; the hearing officer recommended approval of that petition. Alice also said petition 25P1649 by JW King Family Limited Partnership (R‑2 to AG‑1) was recommended for denial by the hearing officer but was withdrawn by the petitioner on Sept. 9.
Alice said petition 25P1650 by Gregory L. Husser Trust — a request for a special use in the AG district for a skilled trade — received a hearing‑officer recommendation to deny. The committee voted to send petition 25P1650 to the executive committee.
On subdivision matters, Alice described petitions for preliminary plats: 25PC81 (resubdivision of Lots 4–7 in The Estate at Forest Hills) and 25PC82 (resubdivision of Lot 1 in Twin Oaks). Both were moved to the executive committee.
The planning commission forwarded an amendment proposal (25PC80) from the zoning office to modify the R‑1 district to create restrictions on the number of farm animals and to amend R‑2 to allow up to six chickens (no roosters); Alice said the planning commission approved the R‑1 changes but tabled the R‑2 discussion. The committee moved petition 25PC80 forward for county board consideration.
Alice also reported on renewable‑energy projects: “A determination of substantially underway was given to Trajectory Energy Partners who owns the Meadow Solar Project,” she said, adding the Meadow Solar array near the Dixon Park District is working toward a building permit expected in the spring. Alice said Agalina Solar (on Reynolds Road east of Franklin Grove) and Pulse Solar (on Kilgore Road) are actively pursuing building permits and “will probably have those before the end of this year.”
Committee motions were typically moved by Dean Friel and seconded by Ali Hess; each recorded motion to forward petitions to the executive committee carried on voice votes. No recorded roll‑call tallies were included in the meeting record.
The committee did not make final decisions on the petitions; forwarding them to the executive committee and the county board is the next step in the county’s land‑use process.
