Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee recommends SunVest 5 MW community solar to county board after public questions on drainage and screening
Summary
Planning staff and SunVest Solar presented a 5 MW, ~38‑acre ground‑mounted community solar project. The committee recommended the special‑use permit to the full board with 18 recommended conditions after questions about drainage, transformers, setbacks and site screening; the applicant said interconnection costs have fallen and SunVest intends to retain and manage the project.
The Committee of the Whole on April 2 heard staff and applicant testimony on SunVest Solar’s proposed 5 MW AC ground‑mounted community solar garden (SUP 02‑2026) on roughly 38 acres of an 87‑acre parcel in Bonus Township. Planning staff described the proposed layout, setbacks, buried interconnection, stormwater and road‑use requirements and a Boone County Conservation District request for native vegetation and landscape screening.
Several neighboring property owners who attended the zoning hearing had raised concerns about drainage, transformer noise and visual impacts. Planning staff told the committee the Zoning Board of Appeals had found the proposal met ordinance requirements and recommended approval with 18 conditions addressing stormwater review, a fully executed road‑use agreement, landscape screening, and submittal of a survey/PIN for the solar parcel.
Bill French, regional director for SunVest Solar, answered committee questions. French said an earlier permit for a project on this site had expired because previously high interconnection costs made construction infeasible; more recent reductions in interconnection costs now make the project viable. He said SunVest has an interconnection agreement with ComEd and intends to begin construction in the fall if approved, with operations in 2027.
“There’s nothing in [panels] that leaks. There’s no liquid in there at all,” French said to address residents’ concerns about panel leakage. He also told the board SunVest has a lease with the landowner and intends to retain responsibility for operations and maintenance. When board members raised concerns about a previously built nearby project that later experienced maintenance problems, French acknowledged past issues under a different operator and said SunVest would remain engaged as owner/operator and respond to concerns.
Planning staff reiterated conditions requiring stormwater and drainage review, a road‑use agreement approved by IDOT for the US‑20 access, native vegetation plans to meet Conservation District guidelines, and a recorded parcel identifier for tax and monitoring purposes. The Zoning Board of Appeals recommended approval 5–0, and the committee voted to recommend the special‑use permit to the full board; the final board vote is scheduled for April 16, 2026.
The committee also reviewed a related map‑amendment (MA03‑2026) request for a rezoning of a 5‑acre portion of a larger parcel on Spring Creek Road; staff said ZBA and regional planning recommended approval but several board members asked that the applicant or owner attend the full board meeting so the board can ask questions directly.
The committee did not change staff’s recommended conditions; staff told the committee that detailed stormwater, building and health permits will be required at the time of construction.
