Lee County Board rejects 3,800-acre solar farm

DIXON – The 3,800-acre South Dixon Solar project will not be moving forward after most Lee County Board members voted against it Thursday.

South Dixon Solar LLC, of energy giant Duke Energy Renewables, petitioned the county for a special-use permit to build a 500-megawatt utility-grade project south of the industrial park on state Route 26 in South Dixon Township.

The Lee County Zoning Board gave a favorable recommendation for the project following seven meetings in the hearing process, but the project was ultimately turned down by the County Board in an 18-to-4 vote, with board Chairman Bob Olson abstaining and one member absent.

Board members had concerns that not all surrounding residents were properly notified via mail of the project as required, and they received many calls from constituents against the project. Board member Rick Humphrey said there was also insufficient evidence that property values wouldn’t be negatively impacted.

Neighbors spoke out against the solar farm during the zoning hearing process, worried about setbacks and aesthetics, among other issues.

Company officials had said that solar panels would allow the farmland to rest and likely improve after 35 years. Prairie grasses would have been planted in the project footprint, and trees would have been planted along the fence line as a visual buffer for neighbors.

The company had lined up lease agreements for 3,838 acres of farmland across 50 parcels involving 25 participating landowners. The project was estimated to bring in around $43 million in property tax revenue across the 35-year life of the project, with the majority going to the Dixon and Amboy school districts.

It would have generated enough energy to power 100,000 homes a year, and construction would have begun in early 2022.

South Dixon Solar was the third massive solar project to approach Lee County in recent months, and the first to be denied.

In November, the County Board signed off on awarding Steward Creek Solar LLC, of Virginia-based Hexagon Energy, with a special-use permit to build a 600-megawatt solar farm across 5,000 acres in Alto and Willow Creek Townships near Steward bordering Ogle and DeKalb counties as well as Interstate 39 and Highway 30.

In September, the board approved a 1,300-acre solar farm by Eldena Solar LLC, developed by Minnesota-based Geronimo Energy LLC, allowing for a 175-megawatt solar farm in South Dixon and Nachusa townships, near the corner of Eldena and Nachusa roads.