Will County board approves multiple solar zoning ordinances after court order, adds conditions for wiring and fire lanes

With a court order and legal risk looming, the Will County Board approved a package of special‑use zoning ordinances for commercial solar projects on April 16 and added new project‑specific conditions intended to limit environmental and safety impacts.

The board approved a series of ordinances tied to zoning cases that had been previously denied, including ordinance 26‑099 (ZC24‑011) and others in the same group. Clerk roll calls and the transcript show multiple motions carried after deliberations; one clerk statement recorded "With 16 in the affirmative, the motion carries" for ordinance 26‑099. The board also considered and approved Sparrow Management LLC's OD26‑108 after a contentious debate, recorded in the minutes as carried "with 10 in the affirmative." Lincoln Solar Energy's item (OD26‑109/Pride of the Prairie) was remanded back to the Planning & Zoning Commission under a judge's order.

Why it mattered: a Will County judge and subsequent appellate decisions narrowed the board's discretion on these applications and, in some cases, directed remand or approval. County attorneys warned board members that defying a court order could expose the county to fines and individual…