The ZBA’s hearing record includes technical reports on noise, glare and potential effects on nearby property values.

Anchored Environmental Inc. (consultant Spencer Thomas) presented a preconstruction noise analysis using manufacturer sound levels and a model that evaluated 33 residences within a half mile of the proposed arrays. The consultant and the ZBA record show the modeled operational noise levels were below the applicable Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB) decibel limits for the receiving land uses identified in the record.

A glare analysis prepared with Forge Solar software and submitted as an exhibit concluded that none of the designated observation points along Atkinson and Rock Island roads would experience material glare, after accounting for existing and proposed tree lines. The board admitted the report into evidence and recorded the consultant’s summary in its findings.

The petitioners also submitted a Cone/Kohn Reznick adjacent property‑value impact study and supporting literature; the appraiser, Andrew Lines, summarized interviews and market data and concluded the body of evidence does not show a consistent negative impact on adjacent residential or agricultural values in the studies he reviewed. The ZBA admitted those exhibits into the record and included them in its adopted findings.