McHenry County appeals board recommends rezoning and unanimously approves conditional use for proposed 5-MW Coral Township solar farm

The McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals voted to recommend reclassifying roughly 92 acres in Coral Township from E‑1 estate to A‑1 agricultural and unanimously approved a conditional‑use permit to allow a commercial solar energy facility proposed by Green Solar 9 LLC.

The vote on the map amendment was 5–2 in favor; the board approved the conditional‑use permit 7–0. Chair (name not provided in the transcript) said the board will forward both recommendations to the county board, which is scheduled to consider the items on April 21.

The petitioner, represented by Scott Trebicky of Clark Dietz, told the board the site would host roughly a 30‑acre array that would generate about 5 megawatts of electricity. "It would generate about 5 megawatts of energy," Trebicky said, and he emphasized that the project would increase assessed value and tax revenue for local taxing bodies, citing a 20‑acre example parcel where assessed value rose substantially after solar development.

Petitioners said the plan includes an 8‑foot woven‑wire perimeter fence, vegetative screening along property lines and road frontage (arborvitae hedgerows), pollinator‑friendly plantings under the arrays (a CP‑42 mix), and compliance with the Illinois agricultural impact mitigation agreement. They also said an archaeological investigation prompted by the State Historic Preservation Office has identified two historic homesteads on the parcels and that results must clear before permitting.

Fernando Velasquez, speaking for Green Solar 9, said the project holds an executed interconnection agreement with ComEd and that the applicant expects the utility will upgrade lines and substation equipment to accept the injection. Board members asked about those upgrades and were told the petitioner expects roughly $600,000 in line upgrades tied to the interconnection, paid as part of the interconnection process. The petitioner estimated construction could begin in May (after ground thaws) and described an on‑site construction window of roughly 150 days, with total timing possibly extending up to a year depending on interconnection and contingency work.

Opposition and support were both on the record. Laurie Cisneros, a Coral Township plan commission member, urged the board to deny the map amendment, saying the request fails several LaSalle factors and would set an undesirable precedent: "Moving forward, do we want to set that precedent for future land‑use amendments? I sure hope not," Cisneros said. Neighbor Ignacio Fiorella asked the board to preserve the estate‑residential designation, saying residents bought homes expecting that zoning. By contrast, nearby resident Kathleen Carr urged approval, calling solar "clean and renewable" and noting the panels would sit more than 190 feet from the nearest residence.

Board deliberations balanced competing priorities. Supporters of the rezoning argued the land has been farmed for decades and that returning it to an agricultural designation better reflects current use and gives the county more long‑term control over development. Dissenting members said they were concerned about creating a precedent of downzoning to enable solar projects. In the map‑amendment roll call, the board recorded yes votes from Charlie Eldridge, Lisonbee, Bill Kernick, Mary Donner and the Chair; Schnabel and Dwight Dolman voted no.

On the conditional‑use permit, which the board considered separately, members found the project met county standards for commercial solar facilities (setback, height, lighting, landscaping and wildlife/stormwater provisions cited during the hearing) and accepted the proposed conditions governing screening, fencing, and other operational requirements. The board approved the CUP unanimously and instructed staff to forward the record to the county board.

Next steps: both the recommendation for rezoning and the board's approval of the conditional‑use permit will be considered by the full county board on April 21. The county board will make final determinations on the map amendment and the CUP.

Notes: The petitioner stated the project team holds an interconnection agreement with ComEd and that the final archaeological and permitting steps remain to be completed; if historic resources are found within the build area that cannot be avoided, the petitioner acknowledged that could halt or materially change the project.