Champaign County hears hour of public comment on proposed Mahomet community solar project

Champaign County Board members heard an extended public-input period Oct. 23 on Summit Ridge Energy—s proposed Mahomet community solar project, with neighbors urging the board to deny the special-use permit and project representatives and supporters urging approval.

The project—s developer, Summit Ridge Energy, described a 4.99 megawatt AC community solar array sited near Spring Lake and Mahomet, and said it had revised plans after neighborhood feedback to preserve about an acre of timber, add a three-sided sound barrier near inverters, plant evergreen screening and commit to local labor and a project labor agreement. Maura Cronin, director of development for Summit Ridge Energy, told the board, "We heard the community and the board loud and clear about the desire for a community meeting," and apologized for earlier outreach gaps.

Neighbors cited multiple concerns in the record. Alexis Godby, who said she lives at Spring Lake, told the board, "From the very…