Plan to replace Pistakee Country Club near Lakemoor with solar farm wins village backing

Lakemoor trustees have voted to annex a golf course so that the property can be redeveloped as a solar farm, despite reservations by some nearby residents.

Trustees voted last week to annex into the village the Pistakee Country Club and to issue a conditional-use permit for the solar farm to operate. The property borders Lakemoor on multiple sides. The golf course property at 815 Bay Road, near the intersection of Bay and Cuhlman roads, was unincorporated but had a McHenry address.

The road ahead for Turning Point LLC, the privately held company proposing the solar farm, is to complete the purchase of the golf course property and then apply for building permits, which take approximately three weeks to review, said Village Administrator Todd Weihofen.

Turning Point’s development manager, Gloria Foxman, said the company plans to work closely with the village, “as we complete additional studies and engineering in preparation for the construction phase of the project.”

Despite opposition from residents – voiced at an at-times contentious, standing-room only zoning board hearing last month – only a handful attended the April 1 village board meetings where the votes took place.

One resident who did attend, Suzana Draginis, said she was there representing more than 150 people from neighboring subdivisions. She said that although no one wants the solar farm to operate there, they’d rather have Lakemoor officials be able to regulate it.

If the property had remained unincorporated, the McHenry County Board would have taken up the solar farm proposal and, Weihofen said, likely would have approved it. County Board members have expressed frustration with Illinois law that limits counties’ abilities to restrict solar farms and have said they feel they must vote to approve them to avoid potential lawsuits. The county has been sued over restrictions, but also has sought to get back some of its authority on the issue.

According to the agreement approved in Lakemoor, the conditional-use permit has 20 conditions – the last, added the same day as the vote, states that the conditional-use permit is to last for 45 years. The annexation agreement will be in place for 20.

After the vote, Draginis said that it would have made more sense to reissue a permit 20 years from now, if the village was satisfied with how the solar farm had operated during that time frame. She feels it’s like kicking the to the next generations to have to deal with, if within that time the project plays out to be a mistake.

Draginis said she hadn’t seen any panels that would last 40 years. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates a solar panel lifespan to be 30 to 35 years but notes some panels may run longer.

“I think the 45 years is a very big loss, and it did not have to occur,” Draginis said.

Resident Heidi Wolf said she’s worried about high noise levels while the land is made ready for the panels. She can see the golf course from her home and said she feels it will also be an eyesore.

Other concerns from residents include whether the solar farm could bring down property values or have any negative impact on the environment, including waterways and wildlife.

During the zoning hearing, Foxman said that the company’s vision for the property was that it be quiet and screened. Project representatives said there would not be additional impervious surface under the panels, and thus no additional runoff.

Trustee Jeff Nykaza asked last week what could happen to solar panels if they become damaged and can no longer be used: “If a quarter of your zone went out … who’s to say when no one’s looking you’re going to dig a hole and throw them in there?”

Foxman replied that the panels won’t contain any toxins and that, through a 24-hour remote monitoring system, operators will know if panels are damaged and, if unusable, they would be recycled appropriately.

According to the presentation, benefits to the community include the potential to save money on electricity, improve soil health and provide local jobs. Turning Point also cited a study that found solar farms didn’t negatively affect property values.

Draginis said she’s encouraging the solar farm company to work with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to follow a plan to install the solar farm in the safest way possible. She thanked Foxman for being receptive in listening to such requests from the group.

Some of the 19 other conditions placed on the project include that seed mixes used for landscaping be approved as native, non-invasive species, per IDNR recommendation; that “landscape and plantings on the project be conducive to the propagation” of the rusty patched bumblebee; and that Turning Point work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service “for recommendations prior to finalizing and implementing the landscape and screening designs.”

At the end of the meeting, Village President Colin McIntyre said he’ll miss the golf course because he played there with his father and grandfather and “learned to golf there.”

It’s not clear when the course will close. Multiple attempts to reach someone at Pistakee Country Club have been unsuccessful.