Zoning board approves conditional-use permit for 9.9-acre Green Road solar farm, 7–0

The McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved a conditional‑use permit for a proposed 9.906‑acre commercial solar energy facility along Green Road in Alden Township after the applicant presented a wetland delineation and revised site plan.

The petitioners, Dr. Efton Walters of WCP SOTA and Joe Hines of Joe Hines Associates, told the board the array layout was shifted slightly east to avoid a small wet pocket wetland identified in the northwest corner of the site. Walters said inverter noise levels are “about 25 to 35 dB,” which he compared to “a refrigerator humming.” He and the consultant said no panels would be installed in the wetland and that pile supports would be approximately 20 feet from the delineated wetland edge.

Members pressed the applicants on plan documentation and field demarcation. Planning staff confirmed the most recent site plan was received April 9 and recommended that condition language tie approval to that version; staff also said the county’s wetland consultant recommended temporary fencing during construction to avoid impacts, but did not specify a fixed numeric buffer distance. The applicants offered to incorporate GPS coordinates provided by Hay and Associates into the permit set so the wetland demarcation can be reproduced in the field.

Several nearby residents raised questions during public comment about silt fencing, potential chemical contamination leaching into local lakes and the Kishwaukee River, and road wear from construction traffic. Larry Greenhat, a nearby resident, said he worried panels and equipment could harm wildlife and water quality; Dr. Walters responded that the project plans call for double (sometimes triple) silt fencing at wetland perimeters, that heavy equipment would not be operated in the wetland during pile driving, and that, in his testimony, modern photovoltaic modules are silicon‑based and “there’s no lead in solar panels.”

Board members noted required regulatory checks that will accompany the building permit: the developer must obtain a stormwater permit demonstrating no change to runoff rate or volume, and the project will comply with recommendations from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. To reduce document ambiguity, the board amended proposed condition No. 2 to reference the site plan received by planning staff on April 9 and to attach that plan to the approval ordinance.

After brief discussion, the board voted to amend the condition, approved the conditions as amended, and then approved the conditional‑use request itself; all votes were unanimous, 7–0. The approvals advance the project to the county board and to the building permit stage, where stormwater permitting and any required construction oversight will be applied.

The board moved on to other business and adjourned.