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The Will County Board voted 14-7 Thursday to grant a fourth extension for a new solar farm near Peotone after members questioned whether the county should continue to grant extensions even after the solar developer changed hands.
The commercial solar energy facility brought forth as Prairie Solar LLC and owned by Trajectory Energy Partners was originally approved in March 2023. The original special use permit expired two years after the County Board approved the project, and the board has since granted three extensions for the company to start construction.
But in April, ownership of the project was transferred to Standard Solar Inc, which applied for a building permit in June and requested a fourth and final extension in July, county documents said. The county is still reviewing its building permit application.
Board member Julie Berkowicz, a Naperville Republican, said she believes special use permits should not be transferable, and the developer should come back to the County Board for reconsideration.
Board member Sherry Newquist, a Steger Democrat, said the board originally put 15 conditions on the project, which would be eliminated if the energy firm was forced to start the process over.
Illinois state law sets statewide standards for renewable energy, requiring local boards not to make solar and wind ordinances more restrictive than state standards.
But board members asked whether that state law also applies to projects that have changed ownership or haven’t started construction in years.
Attorney Kevin Meyers said there is no case law that addresses extensions, but board members shouldn’t reasonably deny the extensions based on state statute.
The project calls for a 4-megawatt solar energy facility on about 56.8 vacant acres north of West Kennedy Road and east of Interstate 57 in Peotone Township. The proposed location is about 1 mile north of the Will and Kankakee County border and was originally approved by a 21-0 vote in 2023, according to meeting minutes.
Marguerite Kenny, zoning administrator for the Will County Land Use Department, said the solar project is in a good location near a highway and Peotone officials and local residents did not object to the original proposal.
The county only allows for four extensions to a project, Kenny said.
The company said in a letter to the county that it has substantially advanced toward construction by submitting the required building permit applications and completing detailed engineering designs.
The extension is necessary to allow time for the Manhattan Fire Protection District to review the building permit application, and the project is ready to begin construction when a building permit is approved, the company’s letter said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown
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