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Lee County advances three Pivot Energy zoning petitions, adopts temporary energy-storage moratorium
Summary
The committee moved three special-use petitions by Pivot Energy to the county board and approved a moratorium broadened from battery storage to 'energy storage' until March to align county standards with anticipated state requirements.
Lee County’s executive committee voted to forward three zoning petitions submitted by Pivot Energy and to advance a temporary moratorium on new energy storage system permits while the county aligns standards with evolving technologies and any forthcoming state requirements.
Alice, zoning official, described three petitions (25P1654, 25P1655 and 25P1656) by Pivot Energy that had earlier received special-use permits; one of the projects later failed to receive an interconnection from ComEd, prompting the company to request amendments to allow battery storage at two sites and to revoke the third permit. "At the time the company came in to petition for this, we did not have… Brian Brim… named as the hearing officer permanently. So Tim Slavin did hear these petitions, and it was his recommendation to the board that all 3 be approved," Alice said.
Chair Jack Scribe called for motions to move each petition and corresponding resolution to the executive committee for inclusion on the December county board agenda. The motions were moved and seconded as recorded, and each motion carried by voice vote with no further discussion recorded.
Separately, committee members discussed a proposed moratorium initially focused on battery storage but broadened during drafting to "energy storage" to capture emerging technologies. Alice said the moratorium would remain in effect until March unless the state enacts requirements that force an earlier change. The committee voted to move that moratorium to the county board; the motion carried by voice vote.
Alice also told the committee the zoning office is implementing iWORKS for permitting and compliance modules and preparing a proposed text amendment on accessory dwelling units after requests increased from roughly two per year to about two per month. She said the county is consulting LaSalle County’s ordinance as a model.
Next steps: the three petitions and the moratorium will be considered by the county board; zoning staff will prepare a text amendment on accessory dwelling units for a future meeting.
