Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Boone County panel rejects Belvedere Road solar special-use after contested public comment and developer presentation
Summary
Developers for a 25‑megawatt solar project east of Belvidere Road presented technical, economic and decommissioning plans, and the Zoning Board recommended approval with conditions; the administration committee declined to approve the special-use permit after public opposition and board concern about scale and farmland preservation.
Developers and their consultants presented plans for an 85‑acre, 25.2 megawatt ground-mounted solar facility east of Belvidere Road on July 10, but a vote of the county’s administration committee failed to approve the project’s special-use permit.
Why it matters: the project would convert roughly 85 acres of agricultural land to a utility-scale solar facility and is proposed on a property that partly borders Winnebago County. Developers said the project would generate an estimated $4.1 million in tax revenue over its operational life, create about 125 construction jobs and provide first-year local revenue of about $174,000, of which about $119,000 would go to the local school district.
The presentation: Ben Jacobi, an attorney for Belvedere Solar LLC, said the company — a Sunco subsidiary — designed the project to comply with Boone County’s solar ordinance and to provide mitigation measures. He said the parcel’s Land…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
