Based on advice that the village would face an uphill legal battle, Wauconda officials recently dropped action to forcibly annex agricultural property on the north end of town to block a proposed solar project.
Meanwhile, OneEnergy Renewables is refining plans for a solar utility system to be located on 40 acres of a 62-acre site immediately east of the Liberty Lakes subdivision south of Gilmer Road.
In April, village officials took the first step to block the solar proposal, saying it was in the wrong spot because the comprehensive land use plan envisioned the unincorporated area to be low-density housing in the future.
“Initially, in reviewing the law, it appeared that we could be successful,” said Village Administrator Allison Matson.
“However, there is indication from legal precedent that it could be an uphill battle,” she added. “The village is choosing not to expend resources on something that would be unsuccessful.”
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After dropping that action, the board approved a resolution formally opposing the project, saying it would come as close as about 150 feet from some homes and had concerns about the project’s compatibility with surrounding residential uses.
The resolution asks Lake County, which has jurisdiction in zoning and permits in unincorporated areas, to deny any application seeking approvals needed to proceed with a solar farm.
OneEnergy Renewables is working with county staff on a conditional use permit but has not filed an official application for the Wauconda area project, said Forrest Howk, director of development.
He said roughly 30 of about 75 area residents contacted by the company attended a community meeting OneEnergy held July 30 in Wauconda.
“We’re rolling feedback into a project website” to hopefully be launched soon, he said. “Our next step is to put up the website to maintain a communications platform with everyone.”
According to Howk, the amount of power to be generated hasn’t been finalized but could be up to 10 megawatts.
“We’re trying to keep everyone informed and eager to get everyone’s feedback on how we can improve the project,” he said.
Based in Seattle, the company has offices in Maryland, Colorado, Oregon and Wisconsin. All but two of its 30 Midwest projects are in Wisconsin, according to the company website.
mzawislak@dailyherald.com

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