Will County committee sends revised solar permitting language to public hearing to treat noncontiguous parcels as separate special‑use permits

The Will County Land Use and Development Committee instructed staff to add a draft text amendment (option 2) to the county code and to send the package to public hearing, likely on August 4. The change is aimed at how commercial solar facility applications are processed when a single energy facility spans multiple, noncontiguous parcels.

Under the option the committee favored, an applicant may submit one application for a multi‑parcel energy facility, but the county would require a separate special‑use permit decision for each contiguous grouping of parcels within that application. Supporters said the approach allows the county to review and vote on individual parcel groupings where local impacts vary while still letting developers file a consolidated package.

County planning staff said fee calculations will follow the new statutory framework that ties certain fees to megawatts, and county counsel staff explained the statute caps permitted fees (noting a statutory methodology: up to $5,000 per megawatt with an overall cap per energy facility referenced in the record). Committee members emphasized the change would allow them to deny problematic parcels without rejecting an entire multi‑parcel facility.

The committee voted to add the language and to move the full amendment package to public hearing. The public hearing will occur as part of the broader code amendment process being scheduled for public notice.

The committee’s direction does not itself change the ordinance; it starts the formal public‑hearing process on the proposed language.