Lee County Board OKs 5-megawatt solar facility off Kilgore Road

DIXON – A 5-megawatt commercial solar energy facility in Palmyra Township got the special-use permit that developers need to move forward with the project.

Lee County Board members voted 17-1-1 on Thursday to grant Ironwood Projects a special-use permit to build on property adjacent to 464 Kilgore Road, Dixon. Board member Angie Shippert cast the only “no” vote; Board Chairman Bob Olson abstained.

Ironwood Projects is a Louisiana-based company doing business in Illinois as Pulse Solar II LLC.

“The prospect of providing Lee County with a long-term source of clean, sustainable energy is an exciting one, as is the opportunity to generate income for our landowner, offer ComEd customers the chance to subscribe to power at or below market rates and increase the local tax base,” Ironwood Projects wrote in its permit application.

Pulse Solar II is proposed to cover 41.8 acres of a 57.8-acre lot and is expected to generate enough energy to power about 1,100 single-family homes annually, according to the permit application.

About $4 million will be put into the local economy through spending on goods and services, labor, fuel and lodging, dining, and other consumer resources, according to the permit. Ironwood Projects expects 24 local jobs to be created during construction, which is expected to take three to four months.

“The chosen location for Pulse Solar II LLC was determined based on several factors, including proximity to relevant electrical and road infrastructure, slope and direction of the land, interest from the landowner, and the current zoning district and surrounding uses,” Ironwood Projects wrote. “The proposed project will have minimal impact on surrounding properties, which are predominantly zoned Ag-1 for agricultural uses.”

The County Board’s vote came after two Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing dates – April 3 and 4 – during which almost five hours of sworn testimony and public comment were heard, and an April 10 meeting during which ZBA members voted to recommend approval of the petition. The full content of the meetings can be viewed on Lee County’s YouTube channel.

Palmyra Township submitted written objections to the project before the hearings, as did a couple who lives nearby.

“The proposed solar facility’s location is in direct conflict with the comprehensive plan of ‘agricultural and rural character,’” Palmyra Township Supervisor Debra Dillow wrote in the letter of opposition. “The township wants to preserve these qualities for the future and for the residents of the township.”

Dillow also noted concerns of the Palmyra Township Board and the Palmyra Township Planning Commission that the land on which Pulse Solar II would be built is prime farmland.

During the ZBA hearing, multiple local residents – many from The Pines at Meadow Woods subdivision directly west of the project location – asked questions of witnesses and spoke against the project. No one spoke in favor of the project.

The Pines at Meadow Woods resident Jerry Wingers told Lee County Board members on April 18 that he was extremely disappointed in their vote. Wingers said his property line runs adjacent to the location of the proposed Pulse Solar II location and that he and his wife moved there after retirement to live in a natural agricultural area.

“We had our property that we were going to pass on to our children,” he said. “Now we’ve lost that inheritance, and you are responsible for that. I hope your conscience rests tonight.”

For a more in-depth explanation on how zoning and the zoning ordinance process works, see Shaw Local News Network’s story on the Lee County zoning process.