Will County grants final 180‑day extension for Prairie Solar special‑use permit

The Will County Land Use Committee approved a final 180‑day extension of a special‑use permit for a proposed commercial solar energy facility in Peatone Township, keeping the original permit conditions in force. Staff explained the property changed hands after the original zoning approval — Trajectory Energy originally pursued the project and sold the site to Standard Solar — and that a building permit application remains under review. "If this were to be approved, this is the final extension opportunity for the next 180 days," staff said, noting the extension would be retroactive from Aug. 9 through Feb. 4.

Members pressed staff and the applicant on screening and fencing requirements and on the frequency of ownership changes in the solar sector. One member said screening options (evergreens vs. shrubs plus slatted fencing) have practical maintenance issues in the field and suggested chain‑link or mowing to the fence line was more realistic; staff responded the extension does not permit changes to conditions and that the original 2018 ordinance required either evergreen plantings or screening and slatted fencing in certain proximity to residences. The applicant (Prairie Solar project manager Jeremy Welch) described typical planting plans and pollinator mixes inside arrays.

Several members expressed broader concerns about siting solar on agricultural land and about whether conditions tied to older ordinances remain adequate; staff noted that failure to extend would require applicants to reapply under updated code and that some conditions were included specifically to hold sites to higher maintenance or screening standards. The committee voted to approve the extension; staff said the permit remains subject to the county's inspection and bonding conditions when the building permit is issued.