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 beginning, the developer has actively avoided our community," and asked members to "please deny the solar project." Speakers raised noise from inverters and fans, proximity to residences and the railroad, the visual effect of panels and fences, and possible sediment or drainage impacts to Spring Lake.

Supporters framed the project as a community benefit that will lower bills, reduce emissions and create local jobs. Daryl McCabe described savings he said he has realized as a community-solar subscriber and urged approval. Joe Riley, representing Laborers— Local 703, said the developer has agreed to a project labor agreement and local hiring, which he said will put union members to work at prevailing wages.

Developer technical responses and commitments were presented in public comment and developer testimony. Summit Ridge—s civil engineer said a third-party sound study found levels below Illinois Pollution Control Board limits and "inaudible at the receptor locations during inverter operation," and the company has committed to install an acoustical barrier with an advertised reduction of 27—1 decibels along the sides closest to residences. The company also said piles will be driven well above the Mahomet Aquifer and that planned native prairie and pollinator plantings will reduce runoff and improve post-construction water quality compared with row-crop conditions. Ben Jacoby, the project attorney, distributed proposed permit conditions including an upfront cash escrow for decommissioning, a project labor agreement, adherence to the revised site plan, and an annual agrologist inspection for invasive species.

County residents and experts on both sides asked the board to weigh tradeoffs. Chelsea Peterson, an environmental engineer, said the site is on previously cultivated land and described potential environmental benefits of perennial vegetation; Ted Hartke and other neighbors urged strict noise limits and noise barriers. Several speakers referenced state permitting or guidance documents (including Illinois Pollution Control Board noise limits) and asked the board to ensure enforceable conditions.

There was no formal board vote on the special-use permit recorded in the portion of the meeting transcribed here. The board extended public comment while the record for the item was still open.

The board packet and the developer—s "progress letter" and revised site plan were distributed to members before the meeting; the developer also reported a community meeting Oct. 15 and a pledged $100,000 donation to the Mahomet Community Foundation as a community benefit. Several commenters requested legally enforceable protections for Spring Lake and for sound and drainage mitigations to be included as conditions if the permit is approved.

The matter remained under discussion at the close of the excerpted meeting record; no final action on the special-use permit appears in the transcribed segment.