Will County Board Approves Plan For Solar Farms On Agricultural Land

CRETE TOWNSHIP, IL — Will County Trustees on Thursday approved a plan that will allow for the addition of two new solar farms in Crete Township and Monee Township on land that is zoned for agriculture in unincorporated Will County.

The two Solar Farms are being proposed by Turning Point Energy, which came to the Will County Board seeking to add the farms on a total of 98 acres of land in the two townships. Local residents who attended Thursday's meeting voiced their opposition to the proposal, claiming that the farms could create health risks while also making it more difficult for residents to tell their property if they chose to move.

County documents show that the solar farm that is being proposed in Crete Township would be built on 51 acres of land on Torrence Avenue just south of Steger Road. The farm would be capable of producing enough energy to produce power to the equivalent of 1,088 homes, documentation states.

Meanwhile, the solar farm in Monee Township would be built on 47 acres of agriculturally zoned land on South Will Center Road, about a half-mile north of Pauling Road, the county said. That 4.99-megawatt facility would generate enough energy to produce power to the equivalent of 1,360 homes, county data shows.

Both farms were approved by a 12-10 board vote during Thursday’s meeting, which came amid opposition from area residents who don’t want the solar farms built in the area.

Board Chair Judy Ogalla, (R-Monee), said during Thursday’s meeting that the board feels like it is being hindered by state regulations that don’t give county boards authority of zoning but do allow for the permitting of solar farms similar to the ones being proposed in the two Will County townships.

“It’s just wrong to take away local control, Ogalla said. “Springfield should not have taken away our authority. We should be the decision-makers.”