Council directs rewrite of ground-mounted solar rules after resident concerns

Alderman Matt Bateman asked the Committee of the Whole on Jan. 28 to revisit the city’s ordinance for ground-mounted solar arrays after residents complained about large installations visible from public roads.

Bateman said several large, privately developed solar installations had appeared near the city and that property owners are receiving high per-acre offers that could convert farmland to solar fields. He recommended that larger ground-mounted arrays should require explicit council approval rather than only administrative sign-off by city staff.

City planner/building staff (Wes Woodhall) explained the existing rule: under the current code (section cited in the meeting as 4-123), any array with a footprint larger than one-half acre triggers a special-use permit review through the Planning Commission; that review includes certified mail notifications to nearby property owners, a public hearing and then a recommendation to the council. Woodhall said the array behind the Illini building out by Walmart is under a half-acre footprint (about 19,000 square feet) and therefore did not require the same process as a larger field.

Discussion at the committee ranged from favoring an outright ban on commercial solar farms inside city limits to seeking tighter standards instead of a ban. Councilmembers suggested options including lowering the size threshold that requires Planning Commission review, requiring additional landscaping or screening, requiring decorative fencing or specifying where community solar would be allowed. Some members noted the city is already planning 20 acres of solar on city-owned floodplain near the wastewater plant and that community solar intended to benefit residents differs from private commercial projects.

Outcome and next steps: The council asked Alderman Bateman and Alderman Hablet to draft proposed ordinance language and return to the next Committee of the Whole. Staff also recommended notifying anyone actively preparing an application that the ordinance language may change. Woodhall said he had no pending complete applications at the time of the meeting.

Why it matters: The rewrite could change how and where private ground-mounted solar is permitted inside city limits, affecting farmland, commercial development options and visual character along major routes such as Woodlawn Road.

The committee did not vote to ban ground-mounted solar; instead it asked staff and two aldermen to draft options for council consideration and to return with proposed wording and criteria.