Tazewell County planners recommend approval of two 2.5‑MW solar farms with fencing, screening and decommissioning conditions

The Tazewell County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of special‑use permits for two 2.5‑megawatt commercial solar farms (cases 2509 S and 2510 S), attaching conditions on fencing, vegetation screening, maintenance, contact information and a decommissioning plan.

Commissioners and staff described the conditions attached to the recommendation: a perimeter fence meeting specified height requirements (participants discussed a 7‑foot fence), chain‑link with steel posts, and vegetative screening using evergreen species such as pine planted at 3 to 5 feet tall with additional smaller plantings in front. Staff said the facility owner must ensure vegetation inside the fence and on leased land outside the fence is maintained; maintenance options discussed included mowing, trimming, chemical treatments or use of livestock as agreed in the lease. The commission also encouraged establishing a cover crop such as wheat or rye before construction to reduce erosion and support pollinator habitat. The applicant must keep emergency and non‑emergency contact information current.

Commissioners required that the decommissioning plan comply with the current Tazewell County code. Staff noted the applicant had divided the project into two phases to stay under a state size limit (the transcript only references a state requirement; the specific statute or threshold was not specified). Commissioners discussed the possibility that only phase one might be built and noted screening and other conditions would still apply if the second phase did not proceed. Staff said the first phase would be the portion farthest from the road.

The commission approved findings of fact and then voted separately on case 2509 S and case 2510 S. The action recorded in the transcript was a recommendation to the county board for final authority. Recorded affirmative responses during the roll call included McLean, Miller, Fair and Karen Lesson (the transcript records those names saying “yes” during the vote). The motion outcomes in the transcript are recorded as recommendations in favor of approval.

The items will advance to the Tazewell County Board for final action, where the county board will hold final authority on the special‑use permits.