Lee County forwards multiple solar and energy-system petitions to county board; Prairie Broom Solar set for hearing

The Lee County Executive Committee voted to forward three planning-commission petitions and an energy-systems moratorium to the executive committee for inclusion on the county board agenda.

Alice (zoning representative, speaker S1) told the committee about petition 26P1660 (Prairie Broom Solar), which is seeking a special-use permit for a proposed 180-megawatt solar facility on the county’s east side (described in the packet as west of Stewart Road, north of Perry Road, south of Gurler Road and east of State Route 251). Alice said Prairie Broom Solar will appear before a hearing officer on May 27. The planning commission unanimously recommended three petitions tied to the county’s wind/solar regulations pursuant to the Illinois Public Act cited in the packet.

During the meeting the committee approved motions to move three planning petitions — listed in the record as 26PC86, 26PC87 and 26PC88 — to the executive committee for inclusion on the May county-board agenda; each motion was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote. The transcript records the movers and seconders for those motions. The committee also moved an energy-systems moratorium to the executive committee for placement on the county-board agenda and carried that motion by voice vote.

Alice also described administrative improvements to public notice: QR codes will be placed on site notices to link directly to project documents and to the Zoom meeting for the hearing, and the zoning office is beginning to email petition materials directly to board members so they can access parcels and documents electronically.

The record also notes that the zoning office issued a building permit for Woosung Solar (Pilgrim Road) and is working to issue a permit for Meadow Solar. The committee did not deliberate the petitions’ merits at length; forwarding motions move the items to the next step in the county review process.