Neighbors speak against Maples Road Solar project

DIXON – Neighbors voiced concerns Monday about a proposed solar farm that would be built on 35 acres east of Dixon.

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

[ Maples Road Solar farm proposed east of Dixon ]

The Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals wrapped up testimony and public comment Monday in the quasi-judicial hearing process for the project.

Neighbor Doug Gardner said he was against the project because he was concerned about increased traffic on Maples Road as well as the outlet gravel road the company would build. He also had an issue with not knowing who will own the project.

The company plans to sell the solar farm after it is constructed, project developer Tom Ryan said.

Resident Leslie Beran said the solar farm wouldn’t be compatible with the nearby residential area.

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.

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

The county requires visual screenings such as trees or bushes to create a buffer for surrounding landowners. Adjacent landowners not participating in the project would have the option of visual screening or a one-time payment equal to what the landscaping and maintenance would cost.

Concerns were brought up last week that the project wasn’t meeting that requirement, and Ryan had said it didn’t make sense to screen the entire area because most of the project is surrounded by farmland.

Ryan presented a landscaping plan Monday with trees that would be planted on the northern boundary of the project as well as part of the southern edge.

The proposed plan would not meet the requirements, said Alice Henkel, the county’s renewable energy coordinator.

Not meeting the requirement wouldn’t stop the special-use permit from going forward, but the company would need to follow the county ordinance in order to get a building permit, Henkel said.

The project would generate about $31,000 in property tax revenue for the county in the first year, Ryan 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.

The Zoning Board will next meet Thursday to compile its list of findings of fact for the project before making a recommendation, which will go to the Lee County Board for a final vote later this month.