Lee County Board delays vote on solar farm next to historic Whitney House

DIXON – The Lee County Board decided to postpone the vote on a solar farm proposed next to the historic Col. Nathan Whitney House that has residents raising concerns.

Amboy IL Solar 1 LLC, a part of Distributed Solar Development LLC owned by BlackRock, is looking to develop a six-megawatt solar farm on about 30 acres of land next to the Whitney House near Whitney and McGirr roads.

The historic home at 1620 Whitney Road south of Franklin Grove has been part of the National Register of Historic Places since 1990. It was built in 1860 for Whitney, a veteran of the War of 1812, who settled in the Franklin Grove area in 1836 and founded the Franklin Grove Nursery and Orchards.

Last month, the Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals failed to approve a favorable recommendation for the project in a split vote with members Bruce Forster and Craig Buhrow in favor and Ali Huss and Mike Pratt against. Tie votes count as a failed motion, and no formal recommendation was made.

The project would be surrounded by a seven-foot fence, and the company would create visual buffers with small trees or bushes outside of the fence, as required by the Lee County solar ordinance.

George Breust, owner of the Whitney House who’s lived there for 20 years, spoke against the project along with local historian Mark Wagner and members of the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society with concerns that the project would endanger the aesthetics of the property and its historical integrity.

In a statement to Lee County Board members read during committee meetings last week, the company said the historical nature of the house would not be negatively affected and that its place on the national registry is for the house and 10 feet around it, not the entire property.

The County Board was slated to vote on a special use permit for the project Thursday but tabled the vote until next month.

Board member Tom Kitson said the company is working on some final details to send to the county before the decision.

The company has a lease agreement with landowner David Lyons, and the project footprint is sloped with terraces. It would generate about $20,000 in annual property tax revenue and generate enough electricity to power about 900 homes, senior project manager Kevin Hu said.

If approved, construction would begin in April and be completed in November 2024.