McHenry County zoning board approves Marzano Solar’s conditional‑use permit, 6‑0
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Summary
The McHenry County Zoning Board voted 6‑0 to approve a conditional‑use permit for Marzano Solar LLC to build a 4.3 MW commercial/community solar facility on a roughly 92‑acre parcel in Door Township; staff conditions and AIMA protections will apply and the petition will be forwarded to the county board.
The McHenry County Zoning Board on a 6‑0 vote approved a conditional‑use permit for Marzano Solar LLC to develop a 4.3‑megawatt commercial/community solar facility on the north parcel of 9310 West Lucas Road in Door Township, a project applicant representatives said will occupy about 28.5 acres inside a roughly 91–92‑acre parcel. The board voted to adopt staff’s proposed conditions and will forward the petition to the McHenry County Board.
Attorney Mark Ruchan, representing Marzano Solar (a Cultivate Power subsidiary), said the project would produce clean, local power and generate substantial local tax revenue and temporary construction jobs. “Project includes development of a solar energy facility of up to 4.3 megawatts generating capacity,” Ruchan said, and the application estimated roughly $677,000 in tax revenue over the project’s 40‑year lifespan and a nominal project investment of about $6,000,000.
Developers described the project as a single‑access tracker layout divided into two array sections with two equipment pads, a 7‑foot security fence, and vegetative screening along Lucas Road where needed. Paul Bonham, the company’s lead developer, said the fenced area would be about 28.5 acres and the facility would serve the equivalent of roughly 950 single‑family homes through community solar subscriptions. He told the board the project will follow McHenry County setbacks (50 feet from lot lines and at least 150 feet from non‑participating residences), comply with stormwater and flood ordinances, and repair or replace drain tiles per the Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement (AIMA) required by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
On decommissioning and financial assurances, the applicant said it will provide a decommissioning performance bond equal to 100% of estimated removal costs and will update engineering cost estimates periodically. The applicant described the AIMA as a standard state form that includes topsoil protections, decommissioning obligations and financial assurance requirements.
Board members pressed the applicant on several technical and local impacts. Questions addressed noise from inverters (applicant said inverters measure ~67 dB at 10 meters and would meet Illinois Pollution Control Board standards once distance and attenuation are considered), wetlands buffers (the applicant confirmed a 50‑foot buffer and that fences will be outside that buffer), and the effect on sight distance at the project entrance. Cal Carlson, the project civil engineer, said site stopping‑distance considerations informed the decision to move the access about 100 feet to improve safety.
Interconnection to ComEd’s distribution system will require reconductoring of roughly half a mile of line toward the substation, the applicant said; the applicant described that work as substantial but did not provide a firm total cost at the hearing. The applicant also described local outreach—mailings, phone follow‑ups with three neighbors, and consultations with Door Township officials and the Crystal Lake Rural Fire Protection District—and said it is negotiating workforce and school engagement programs with McHenry County College and local schools.
Several neighbors spoke during public comment. Jack Bragg, who lives across Lucas Road, said he was “not totally against the project” but urged additional screening and cautioned about construction traffic during school commute times. The applicant committed to supplement existing vegetation where screening is sparse and to working with township road officials on haul‑route and access permits.
After staff reported that state siting and county Unified Development Ordinance standards had been met, the board voted to approve staff’s proposed conditions and then the petition itself. The chair announced the petition was approved 6‑0; board members recorded votes in favor and the case will be forwarded to the county board for final action.
The board’s action closes the zoning‑board hearing; any permit issuance and construction will require the permitting and access approvals the applicant described.
