Zoning committee deems Ranger PowerRoad Solar application complete; public hearing to be scheduled
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Summary
The zoning committee found Ranger PowerRoad Solar's conditional-use application sufficient to schedule a public hearing for a project described as ~4,500 acres and ~398 megawatts, while flagging variances and state BESS standards that must be resolved before construction.
The Iroquois County Zoning Committee on Nov. 4 (reported to the full board Nov. 6) deemed complete a conditional-use permit application from Ranger Power for the "Road Solar" project and authorized staff to set a public hearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Zoning staff described the project as covering approximately 4,500 acres with an installed capacity of roughly 398 megawatts. Staff noted two variance requests tied to an interconnect agreement and a drainage-tile survey; the committee determined those items did not prevent scheduling a hearing but must be resolved before any building permit is issued.
Committee members and staff also discussed state-level rules for battery energy storage systems (BESS). Staff said the state is drafting new standards and that those standards may reduce some county-level controls. "Due to the large size of the project site, it would make sense to allow variances, but that would be up to the ZBA," a staff member said.
Zoning staff and the committee recommended securing alternate ZBA members and warned the public hearing could require multiple meetings because of the project's scale. The committee also noted pending litigation in other counties related to similar projects and said attorneys and engineers are reviewing drain permits and site-protection documentation.
What happens next: The conditional-use application will be placed on the Zoning Board of Appeals agenda for a public hearing; the zoning staff will continue technical review (drainage-tile surveys, interconnect details) and coordinate any required ordinance changes related to state BESS standards.
Provenance: County zoning staff presentation and committee action were reported to the full board and recorded as "motion carried" to deem the application complete.