Subscription Services
Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..
Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.
Updated: May 5, 2026 @ 11:27 pm
GIBSON CITY — A California developer has withdrawn its application for a special-use permit for the construction and operation of a 2.25-megawatt solar farm on farmland just northeast of Gibson City.
Thirteen days after the city’s planning commission voted 6-1 to recommend the city council deny San Francisco-based ForeFront Power’s application, the company notified city officials of its request to withdraw.
The so-called “Ford Solar” project received pushback from several neighboring landowners during an April 21 hearing preceding the planning commission’s vote. The commission’s recommended denial of the application was expected to be considered by the council this month.
The project — owned by IL Solar Ford Project1 LLC, a company with the same listed address as ForeFront Power — was proposed to be built on a 23.42-acre triangular parcel of agriculturally zoned land at Ford County Road 600 East and Illinois 54 in Drummer Township.
No longer, though.
“Please accept this letter as the official withdrawal request from IL Solar Ford Project1 LLC of the Ford Solar (special-use permit) application for approval by the City of Gibson, Illinois,” stated the letter signed by Kristin Frooshani, vice president of ForeFront Power, and addressed to the planning commission’s chairman, Chase McCall, and deputy city clerk and advisor Jan Hall.
“We request you please withdraw our request from any action by the Gibson City Council for the special-use permit application. We also request you send us verification that the request has been withdrawn and will not be presented to the Gibson City Council for any action.”
McCall said neighbors voiced a number of concerns about the project, including its proximity to homes and the potential for the solar panels to cause glare issues and groundwater contamination.
Among the seven commissioners present, McCall was the only one to vote in favor of the issuance of a permit for the project. McCall said he did so because of the project’s potential benefits to the community, including the temporary stimulation of the economy through the creation of jobs, an increase in tax revenue from the involved land for local taxing bodies, and the possibility that the city’s residents could apply to receive energy credits on their utility bills via an agreement with Ameren Illinois.
“From a planning commissioner’s perspective, I have to think about what’s in the best interest for Gibson City,” McCall said.
The city has zoning authority within 1.5 miles of its corporate limits.
The News-Gazette mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the News-Gazette on your mobile device just as it appears in print.
Pick the brain of multimedia reporter Kathy Reiser.
Have a question for 25-year Vermilion County beat writer Jennifer Bailey? Submit them here and she’ll respond each Thursday.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
