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Commission narrows options on freestanding solar, rejects ground-mounted wind for residences
Summary
Palos Park planning commissioners and residents debated proposed rules for freestanding solar panels and small wind turbines, and the group signaled support for lower ground-mounted solar heights and to bar residential ground-mounted wind turbines.
Palos Park planning commissioners and residents debated proposed rules for freestanding solar panels and small wind turbines in the village's draft zoning ordinance, leading staff to report they will lower proposed height allowances for ground-mounted solar and effectively bar residential ground-mounted wind turbines while considering limited allowances for institutional uses.
Why it matters: ground-mounted renewable energy structures affect property visibility, neighbor concerns and permitting. The draft choices determine whether residents with limited roof area can install panels or small turbines on poles and which lots could host them.
Consultant Larissa summarized the draft: ground-mounted solar panels were written as allowed at a maximum height of 20 feet in rear yards only; freestanding wind turbines were allowed at a 35-foot maximum in rear yards only. Larissa read written comments from a resident (Drew) who recommended lowering freestanding-solar heights and suggested a 15-foot limit for mounted wind turbines, with neutral, nonreflective poles and a removal requirement if the equipment is unused for a period.
Speakers noted practical and safety concerns. One participant said tall, pole-mounted ground arrays require structural design to resist uplift, adding: "I do have a concern that somebody that's just doing something in their backyard is not necessarily going to do that and it can become a prime or dead bed." A structural engineer in the room noted ground-mounted systems require permits and structural review.
After extended discussion about lot size, effectiveness and aesthetics, staff proposed a lower ground-mounted solar height in rear yards. Several commissioners favored 5'8''''''''' to 8 feet as a practical maximum. The group reached broad agreement to disallow residential ground-mounted wind turbines: "We don't want the ground mounted wind turbines," a commissioner said during the meeting. Participants also discussed roof-mounted systems: the draft currently allows roof-mounted turbines up to 15 feet above the roof line and allows rooftop solar subject to building-height rules (for buildings 40 feet and lower, rooftop panels may extend up to 6 feet above flat roofs in commercial cases; residential applicability was noted as limited).
Institutional uses drew separate treatment. Several commissioners supported permitting taller ground- or roof-mounted systems for institutional and some nonresidential uses, where sites and building scale can better absorb equipment. One commissioner said they would "support allowing them for the institutional district" at higher heights to make such systems feasible for schools or other public facilities.
Next steps: staff will revise the draft ordinance to lower the ground-mounted solar height allowance (staff indicated an 8-foot limit as a working target), explicitly prohibit residential ground-mounted wind towers, and add tailored language for rooftop installations and institutional exceptions. No formal ordinance change was adopted at the meeting.
