LaSalle County Board approves two Fall River Township wind-turbine special uses amid questions about meteorological data

The LaSalle County Board on Sept. 1 approved two special-use petitions to install commercial wind turbines in Fall River Township, each petition authorizing a single 5-megawatt turbine and each carrying 13 conditions recommended by the LaSalle County Zoning Board of Appeals. The decisions affect two parcels in Fall River Township and are consequential because they authorize utility-scale wind turbines under the county’s ordinance while recording conditions intended to mitigate local impacts. Mister Gift, who presented the petitions, described the south project as “a 5 megawatt wind turbine on the subject parcel,” and said the Zoning Board recommended approval with 13 conditions. For the second petition (the northern parcel), Gift noted the application “was submitted in compliance with our ordinance, which is in compliance with the state statute,” and advised board members the county should treat wind approvals similarly to prior solar approvals when the ordinance and state statute are met. Several board members pressed on whether meteorological (MET) tower data had been gathered for the exact sites. Mister Nikki observed that a MET tower had previously been permitted and asked whether it had provided six months of data. County staff answered they had issued a permit for a MET tower this year but were unsure whether it had been erected; Gift said the tower may remain in place to continue data collection until construction, noting it can take “another year, probably 2 years” before a turbine is built. A separate board exchange clarified that applicants said they were “fairly confident” in the regional data and that the MET tower was being used primarily to reduce financing risk rather than to serve as the sole site selection metric. Board members also asked about parcel configuration and setbacks; Gift explained applicants used two parcels for each turbine so participating-property setbacks could be satisfied while maintaining required nonparticipating-property setbacks. Roll call for the south project (25-21) resulted in 13 ayes, 9 nays, 1 present and the motion carried. The northern project (25-22) carried by roll call 15 ayes, 7 nays, 1 present. Minutes and ordinance records note the 13 conditions attached to each approval; those conditions will be enforced through the county’s permitting process and any required returns to the zoning board. No formal judicial or state actions were cited on the record during the approvals; Gift explicitly referenced compliance with state statute when explaining parallels with solar approvals.