Will County staff backs Earthrise’s 600 MW ‘Pride of the Prairie’ solar plan as residents press concerns

County planning staff recommended the Will County Planning & Zoning Commission approve Lincoln Solar Energy LLC’s special‑use permit request for ‘Pride of the Prairie,’ a commercial solar energy facility proposed by Earthrise Energy that the applicant says would generate up to 600 megawatts across roughly 6,100 acres.

Kelly Kruinski, the county’s presenter, told the commission that the application covers 96 tax parcels and 46 property owners and requests about 195 variances, chiefly to allow native pollinator vegetation to reach about 36 inches and to reduce mowing frequency from five times per season to one. The staff report attached multiple studies and input from local agencies, and recommended approval of the special‑use permit along with the variances, while removing a previously proposed condition requiring NRI field inspections at permitting time.

Why it matters: The size and scope make this one of the largest proposed utility‑scale solar projects in the county. County staff said the proposal complies with the state siting law and noted an Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement will be required by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, but a large group of townships, environmental committees and nearby residents said more technical review is…