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LaSalle County board recommends 4.95 MW community solar near Oglesby over neighbors' objections
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4–3 (chair cast deciding vote) June 17 to recommend approval of a 4.95 MW community solar facility at 1 Broadcast Lane in Oglesby with several conditions, after developer assurances on decommissioning and bonding and extensive public concern about property values and traffic.
The LaSalle County Zoning Board of Appeals on June 17 recommended the county board approve a 4.95-megawatt AC community solar facility proposed at 1 Broadcast Lane in Oglesby, forwarding the petition with conditions by a 4–3 vote after the chair cast the deciding ballot.
Developer Philip Lieber of Solar Generation Midwest described the Radiohead project as a 4.95 MW AC community solar array sited on a roughly 41-acre parcel with 26.5 acres inside the fenced array. Lieber told the board the facility will use about 12,432 panels and trackers, will connect to Ameren Illinois, will not include battery storage, and will offer local Ameren customers a 5–10% discount on their Ameren bills as subscribers.
"It's a 4.95 megawatt, AC, solar facility," Lieber said during his presentation, outlining environmental reviews the company completed and mitigation steps including a phase-1 archaeological survey and coordination with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
The hearing featured extensive questioning and public comment. Board members pressed the developer on setbacks, screening (proposed blue spruce 4–6 feet at planting), decommissioning and bonding, truck access and road-use agreements with the town road commissioner, and the impact on adjacent residential views. Petitioner representatives said decommissioning obligations will be held by the project company (SG Radiohead PV LLC) and will be bonded and periodically updated.
Multiple residents who live across the road from the site urged denial, citing concerns about property values, visual impacts and road wear. Robert Huber, a nearby resident and self-described longtime real-estate professional, said the project will significantly affect the 26 homes nearest the site: "I can throw a rock and hit a panel," Huber said, arguing the proximity will harm property values.
Mayor Jason Curran of Oglesby told the board his city will receive no direct financial benefit because Oglesby is on a separate power grid and the subscriber discounts apply only to Ameren customers. "If you own the property, this is America," Curran said, saying he supports property rights but urged the board to ensure strong decommissioning safeguards so the county does not face an abandoned site decades from now.
After public comment the board attached conditions similar to those used for prior solar permits: follow IDNR and county Soil & Water recommendations; provide site signage listing maintenance and contact numbers; require vegetative maintenance and a full vegetative maintenance plan before a building permit; and ensure landscape screening does not block required sight triangles at the nearby intersection. The motion to recommend approval with those conditions passed 4–3 when Chair Sandy Billard cast the deciding vote.
The board's recommendation is advisory; the LaSalle County Board will take final action on the application at its July 9 meeting.
What happens next: Staff will forward the record and the board's recommended conditions to the county board for final consideration on July 9.
