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Appraiser testifies to no measurable property-value decline; expert warns battery-storage precedent is limited
Summary
Kirkland Appraisals’ Mark Pomykacz told the Edgar County Board his analysis of Illinois sales data and assessor responses found no measurable decline in nearby residential values tied to comparable solar farms, but he cautioned that battery energy storage is a newer technology with less sale-history data.
Mark Pomykacz, an MAI and accredited appraiser working with Kirkland Appraisals LLC, testified that his team conducted a broad review of literature, assessor surveys and paired/matched-sales comparisons using Illinois sales data to estimate whether nearby property values decline after solar facilities are built.
Pomykacz described multiple analytic techniques used for the assignment, including peer literature review, assessor surveys and paired-sales (matching nearby sales to comparable properties farther from installations). Based on the dataset and methods he reported, Pomykacz said: “The basic bottom line is I did not see an impact.”
He acknowledged limitations specific to battery energy storage systems (BESS), noting that BESS projects are newer and that fewer post-construction sales datasets exist for storage-only or co-located storage facilities. He said his firm supplemented the analysis with analogous cases (cell towers, industrial facilities, older solar projects) and adjusted for observable differences between matched properties.
Under questioning, Pomykacz said he relied on actual sales records from Illinois where possible, and that his paired-sales work incorporated adjustments for time-on-market and other variables. He said assessors contacted in surveys generally reported no systematic reassessment reductions for neighboring properties next to solar installations.
Residents at the hearing asked what legal recourse individual homeowners would have if they believed their house had become difficult to sell because of the facility. Pomykacz replied that damages can be pursued in court in circumstances where an owner can demonstrate a causal link and quantify loss, and that appraisers are routinely used in such proceedings.
Pomykacz’s presentation will be part of the record the board reviews before its Nov. 5 continuation; members asked for time to review the 172-page appraisal report, which the applicant provided during the hearing record.
