Champaign County committee forwards Mahomet Solar 1 case to full board after hours of public opposition

The Champaign County Environmental and Land Use Committee voted to forward a request by Mahomet Illinois Solar 1 LLC to the full county board after more than an hour of public comment and staff discussion. The application seeks permission for a 4.99 megawatt AC community photovoltaic solar farm on roughly 36 acres near Spring Lake in Mahomet Township.

Neighbors who live adjacent to the proposed site urged the committee to deny the project or require stricter conditions. Alexis Godby, a Spring Lake resident, told the committee, “Please take the voices of those who live closest, into consideration when making your decision.” Godby said a petition submitted to the zoning board had 370 signatures at the time of her remarks and asked the committee to deny requested waivers.

The project sponsor, identified in the record as Summit Ridge Energy, was represented by Moira Cronin, who described the proposal as a “4.99 megawatt AC community solar project” and said, “we are a long term owner and operator. We are not going to go away.” Cronin also told the committee the application had been submitted in accordance with Illinois statutory siting requirements and that environmental reviews had been completed by Illinois Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through IPaC, and other consultants.

County staff summarized the zoning board of appeals (ZBA) findings for the committee. Staff…