Maples Road Solar farm proposed east of Dixon

DIXON – A 35-acre solar farm is being proposed east of Dixon off of Maples Road.

Maples Road Solar LLC, under parent company New Leaf Energy, is petitioning Lee County for a special-use permit to develop a five-megawatt solar farm.

The community solar farm project would be subscription-based and generate about $31,000 in property tax revenue to the county in the first year, project developer Tom Ryan told the Lee County Zoning board of Appeals on Thursday during his testimony on the project.

The company has a 20-year lease agreement with landowner Mike Pratt, who’s a member of the Zoning Board and recused himself from the proceedings.

I feel we have chosen the right farmland in the county due to it being on a slope and not being on prime farmland.”

—  Tom Ryan, project developer for Maples Road Solar LLC

The 35 acres is part of a nearly 300-acre parcel at Maples and Stony Point roads, east of the Dixon Municipal Airport.

Ryan said the solar farm won’t be close enough to the airport to create a glare concern.

The area is sloped and not great for farming, and the project should improve stormwater runoff, Ryan said.

“I feel we have chosen the right farmland in the county due to it being on a slope and not being on prime farmland,” he said.

If approved, construction would start in about a year and take four to six months to complete, he said.

It would create 30 to 40 temporary construction jobs and two or three longterm jobs to maintain the site.

Pollinator-friendly grasses would be grown underneath the panels, which would be up to 10 feet high and be surrounded by a 7-foot fence.

The county requires visual screenings such as trees or bushes to create a buffer for surrounding landowners. Ryan said they spoke to one neighbor about a buffer, but it wouldn’t make sense for most of the project, which is surrounded by farmland.

The Zoning Board will continue the hearing process with testimony, public comment and findings of fact, and will then make a recommendation that will go to the Lee County Board for a final vote.