The Will County Board spent much of its July 17 meeting debating multiple commercial solar applications and nearby municipalities' objections, denying two special-use requests and approving other projects with added conditions to bury on-site electrical connections.

The Board denied two Troy Township cases known as the Black Road Solar applications (ZC25041 and ZC25043) after land-use committee and Planning and Zoning Commission recommendations and extensive public testimony from Shorewood, Joliet-area school districts and neighborhood residents. Both denials followed an amendment requiring developers to bury on-site utility connections — a condition the board adopted for several projects even when it rejected the permits themselves.

Why it matters: Board members and public speakers framed the decisions around whether large, unaffiliated energy-generation facilities belong near residences, schools and municipal infrastructure. Speakers cited potential impacts on property values, emergency response, water and soil runoff, electromagnetic fields and nighttime lighting; municipal attorneys and local leaders argued the applications conflicted with local comprehensive planning. Developers and their counsel argued counties have discretion to approve facilities and pointed to economic benefits and mitigation plans.

What the board decided and the conditions it added
- ZC25041 and ZC25043 (Troy Township / Black Road Solar 1 and 2): The county’s land-use committee and Planning & Zoning Commission both recommended denial; the full board considered an amendment requiring buried on-site utility connections but ultimately the motions to approve the special-use permits failed. Outcome: denied.
- ZC25027 (Lockport Township, 14910 & 14750 S. Archer Ave.): The board voted to approve the commercial solar special use with conditions; the board also adopted a requirement that the developer bury on-site electrical interconnection lines as part of the approved conditions. Outcome: approved with conditions.
- ZC25050 (Crete Township, Bemis / Stony Island): The board approved the special-use permit for the community solar garden with conditions, and adopted the buried-connection requirement in committee before final approval. Outcome: approved with conditions.
- ZC25052 (DuPage Township / 13141 S. High Road, Romeoville): The county approved a map amendment from A-1 to I-3; the village of Romeoville registered a legal objection but the county moved forward with the change. Outcome: map amendment approved.

Public testimony and municipal positions
- Multiple municipal officials and school districts filed objections. Clarence DeBold (Mayor, Village of Shorewood) and David Silverman (attorney for Shorewood) told the board the village supports solar in appropriately zoned locations but not in the proposed sites, citing siting, school impacts and water/waste concerns. “Counties do have discretion in whether or not they approve a solar field,” Silverman told the board while urging the county to respect Shorewood’s comprehensive plan.
- Residents and local leaders near the Troy/Black Road sites pressed the board on wildfire/firefighting readiness, decommissioning and recycling plans for panels, noise and light, traffic and safety on adjacent roads, and impacts to wells and groundwater. Several residents provided photos of close proximity between proposed panel arrays and newly platted residential lots.
- Developers testified to mitigation measures including native pollinator seed mixes, professional landscape establishment, emergency response planning with local fire districts, and posted decommissioning bonds. Kevin Heumann (applicant representative, New Leaf Energy / Borrego Solar in the hearing) told the board the company would provide training for fire district responders and intends to post a decommissioning bond to fund site removal if needed.

Legal background and litigation
- Several speakers and counsel referenced LaSalle factors and court decisions. Developer counsel said litigation over earlier denials produced split outcomes in other counties and that the statute does not eliminate the county’s land-use discretion. The board later considered, in executive session, a proposed settlement of pending litigation tied to one of the solar cases; the motion to authorize that settlement failed on a recorded vote.

Board reasoning and vote pattern
- The full board split on individual projects: for some projects (Lockport, Bemis/Stony Island) the board accepted staff and PCC recommendations with an added condition to bury developer-owned interconnection lines; for the Black Road (Troy) projects the board ultimately denied the permits after members cited conflicts with local comprehensive plans, proximity to existing residences and other community impacts.

Ending: The meeting produced a mixed record: the board signaled willingness to approve commercial solar when the site and mitigation meet both county and municipal expectations, while rejecting projects that board members concluded were incompatible with neighborhood plans or raised unresolved public-safety and environmental concerns. Developers may still pursue other remedies in court or through amended applications.