The LaSalle County Zoning Board of Appeals heard multilayered technical testimony, expert reports and sustained public comment on Nov. 19 on Petition 25-26, a request from Avangrid/Aurora Solar to construct the Otter Creek solar project in Allen Township. The petitioner proposed a roughly 150-megawatt solar farm across about 2,100 leased acres with participation from 21 landowners and requested a four-year permit term to allow construction to begin as late as 2029.

Avangrid project developer Sheena Christian told the board the project is designed to meet LaSalle County zoning standards, protect topsoil and drainage, and provide local benefits including lease payments to landowners and an estimated $1 million in annual tax revenue in the project’s first year. ‘‘I’m here this evening seeking your vote for a positive recommendation to the county board for special use permit for the Otter Creek solar project,’’ Christian said during her presentation.

County Soil and Water Conservation District representative Vicky Heath and drain-tile consultant Rudy Dixon described the size and complexity of the site, urged a comprehensive tile survey and mitigation plan, and flagged the need to honor existing conservation contracts on parcels within the proposed footprint. Dixon described the five-step drain-tile investigation used for utility-scale sites and emphasized that legal mutual drains must be maintained "for the life of the lease."

Developers and engineers provided technical details: the project team estimates 21 participating landowners over roughly 2,100 acres (approximately 800–1,200 acres of the 2,100 leased area are expected to contain arrays once setbacks and buffers are applied), lease terms typically run 30 years with two 10-year extensions, and interconnection scheduling with PJM may delay construction. Panel-count estimates in the record ranged from roughly 296,660 (application estimate) to about 390,000 (developer discussion); the company said no battery-storage system is included in the current application.

Several residents and landowners offered documented evidence opposing the project. Farmer and presenter Pamela Sorrells cited a study she supplied and told the board: "This project's personally devastating to our farm business and the enjoyment of the home and farm we worked hard to restore." Concerns from speakers included potential reductions in residential property values, loss of prime farmland, local economic impacts to grain elevators and contractors, disputed lists of participating landowners, and long-term visibility of arrays from homes.

Avangrid’s property-value witness, Michael Marus, presented a ~100-page report concluding the project is unlikely to depress nearby rural property values in this context and noted applicable state setback distances. Developers also cited commitments to decommission the site under an agricultural impact mitigation agreement and county decommissioning requirements, and they said financial assurance would be posted before building permits are issued.

After board discussion on the seven statutory findings for special uses, members voted on a motion to recommend approval with conditions; the motion failed with three members voting no and two voting yes. Because the board did not deliver a recommendation for approval, the petition will proceed to the LaSalle County Board on Dec. 8, 2025, for final action.

The record includes detailed technical evidence provided to county staff, multiple letters both supporting and opposing the project, and several recommended conditions from county staff focusing on Soil & Water recommendations and vegetative maintenance.