Champaign County Board approves permit for Mahomet solar farm by single vote

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MAHOMET — One month after tabling a special-use permit for a proposed solar farm near Mahomet, the Champaign County Board voted Thursday night to approve the request by a single vote, 11-10.

The vote saw four Democrats join all six Republicans, including the two who represent the district where the solar farm will be located, in opposition. District 6 Democrat Carolyn Greer was absent.

The “aye” votes were Democrats Jake Fava, Stephanie Fortado, Elly Hanauer-Friedman, Chair Jennifer Locke, Jenny Lokshin, Emily Rodriguez, Jilmala Rogers, Matt Sullard, Eric Thorsland, Bethany Vanichtheeranont and Daniel Wiggs.

Those opposed were Republicans Jon Cagle, Ben Crane, Aaron Esry, John Farney, Ed Sexton and Jeff Wilson and Democrats Samantha Carter, Lorraine Cowart, Brett Peugh and Monique Settles.

In discussing his choice, Thorsland said that it’s up to a property owner to decide what they want to do with their land.

“You don’t own your view,” he said to neighboring residents who have opposed the project. “If you want to tell people what to do with what you see that isn’t yours, you have to buy it.”

Summit Ridge Energy plans to install a 36-acre solar farm just west of the Mahomet village limit. The site is made up of two parcels that total about 96 acres and is located east of County Road 125 E, south of U.S. 150 and north of the Spring Lake and Bryarfield Acres subdivisions.

Residents from these neighborhoods have opposed the project and cited a variety of concerns, including the loss of farmland, potential runoff into a nearby lake, effects on property values and potential environmental impacts.

During the public-comment period, resident Tyler Bozarth said he and other residents are not opposed to solar energy, but “we’re just wanting responsible solar energy to be placed in responsible locations. And our group just doesn’t think this is a responsible location, being so close to a neighborhood, a lake, a railroad, the town.”

“I’m siding with the community that I reside in, and I’m elected to support them,” Wilson said. “And I’m choosing with full understanding to agree with the community that lives there that would have to live with this for the next 20-plus years.”

Additionally, Farney argued that it’s reasonable for residents who buy homes near agriculturally zoned land to expect the land to be used for agricultural purposes, and the county should change its zoning regulations in regards to which districts solar farms are allowed in.

However, Hanauer-Friedman had a different perspective.

“We’ve heard a lot of fear and concern from those (neighboring) residents,” she said. “That being said, I don’t believe that the things that we’ve heard concern about will come to pass.”

She added that she lives near a solar farm and has not had any issues with it causing noise, which was cited as a concern by some opponents.

Additionally, Sullard noted that the developer’s application complies with state regulations, but the county is out of compliance because its ordinance is more strict than the state statutes. Therefore, he doesn’t expect things to go their way if the matter comes to a lawsuit.

“All that a judge is going to say is, ‘You don’t have a right ordinance,’” he said. “So not only do you have to go grant the petition anyway, but now we’re going to add damages on for the county for not being in compliance for years with the ordinance. So when you talk about representing the people of Mahomet or the people of your community, who’s going to pay for that?”

Rodriguez, for her part, said that while she had previously voted against the proposal as part of the board’s environment and land-use committee, the developer “has answered the majority of my concerns.”

Locke told The News-Gazette that Summit Ridge Energy recently shared that four changes have been made to the project plan:

• Previous plans to cut down approximately 1 acre of existing trees have been scrapped.
• Local labor will be used for construction and paid a “prevailing wage.”
• The developer will provide an escrow account as financial assurance for its decommissioning and site reclamation plan, rather than a surety bond as previously proposed.
• An agrologist will inspect the site for invasive species annually, and the developer will take steps to eliminate any invasive species identified.

Moira Cronin, director of development for Summit Ridge Energy and the company’s development lead for this project, also said that the company has proposed a “sound barrier” to alleviate concerns about potential noise.

She noted that the company held a community meeting Oct. 15 at Mahomet American Legion Post 1015, and about 40 people attended.

“Ahead of the community meeting, on Oct. 1, I had a discussion with the Spring Lake (Homeowners Association) chair offering to donate to the (lake) dredging efforts as a hyperlocal benefit, and the HOA respectfully declined our offer,” she said during public comment. “Instead, after speaking with people at the community meeting, we decided to commit a $100,000 donation to the Mahomet Community Foundation to provide a direct benefit more broadly to all members of the local Mahomet community, not just the Spring Lake HOA members.”

Locke said that both the proposed donation to the HOA and the actual gift to the community foundation “are completely separate from the zoning case.”

“Those contributions, financially, played no role in board decision-making one way or another,” she said.

Alexis Bozarth, admin for the “Stop the Solar Farm by Spring Lake” Facebook group, said in a post after the meeting that she was “disappointed” in board members who cited concerns about a potential lawsuit as one of the factors in their decision to vote for the permit.

“If they are not comfortable forming their own thoughts and making their own decision, why are they serving as our elected officials?” she wrote. “If they cave at the threat of a lawsuit, then (they) could allow anything to happen within Champaign County. I think everyone should think twice about who they vote for going forward.”

The county board also voted Thursday to approve a resolution to support the creation of an intergovernmental commission to study reparations to African American residents.

The vote included a successful amendment by Locke to specifically designate Settles as the board’s representative on the reparations commission. The resolution also commits the board to contributing $25,000 to the commission’s work.