Developer says proposed Mackinac solar project meets county rules, asks board to defer decision to August

Nick Sampson, a project developer with SoulSource Power, told the Tazewell County board the proposed Schlatt B Solitude Solar 1 is designed to meet the county's solar ordinance, the county zoning code and state law. "Schlatt B Solitude Solar 1 is a 5 megawatt DC ground mounted community solar project on approximately 30 acres of a 50 acre parcel," Sampson said and asked the board to continue consideration to the August meeting so the team could finalize outstanding items.

Sampson said the team completed due diligence with multiple agencies — the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State Historic Preservation Office — and that those reviews identified no adverse impacts. He described planned mitigation measures including vegetative screening, a wildlife perimeter fence, a stormwater management plan, and a decommissioning obligation held by financial security to restore the land at end of life. Sampson also claimed the project would deliver local benefits such as subscriptions for utility customers (he estimated roughly 10% savings for subscribers), short-term construction jobs and increased property tax revenue, which he said would be "over 20 times" current revenues.

Sampson acknowledged neighbors' concerns about slope, runoff and construction noise and said construction would last roughly 6 to 8 months with pile driving limited to 2–3 weeks. He told the board the application meets the county's special-use permit requirements and that the project team is prepared to finalize screening, access and emergency-response coordination with the county and local fire department if the board approves further review or moves the item forward in August.