Gurnee waives alt-energy ban for business plaza
Gurnee Village Board trustees Monday night agreed to waive a moratorium on alternative energy devices for a company that wants to install solar panels on the roof of a business plaza where it would open a showroom.
Wind Free Wind & Solar Energy Design Co. would operate at the center on Washington Street at Cemetery Road. Wind Free co-founder Doug Snower said he hopes the 2,000+-square-foot Gurnee location opens by winter.
Last month, Gurnee officials extended a moratorium on wind and solar energy devices until year's end so precise regulations can be formed. The halt had been scheduled to end in mid-June.
On Monday, the village board voted 5-1 to waive the moratorium for Wind Free so it can complete the application process for the solar panels it wants to install at the Washington Corners plaza. Village Attorney Bryan Winter said staff members will decide if the solar project should proceed.
Snower said roughly $150,000 in roof-mounted solar panels would provide at least $5,000 worth of electricity annually to his business and others in the mall. He said the roof panels should not reflect sun toward nearby homes.
"Usually, these types of projects are very favorable to a neighborhood," said Snower, who sells solar panels from Wind Free's Chicago showcase studio.
Trustee Kirk Morris was the lone objector in waiving the moratorium for Wind Free, saying there are too many unanswered questions. Winter said the special waiver for Wind Free should be considered a "test case."
Gurnee's moratorium hasn't applied to a three-bladed, 6-kilowatt wind turbine approved in 2007 to generate supplemental electricity to Chipotle Mexican Grill. The wind turbine is in the shadows of a transmission tower on Gurnee Mills' perimeter just west of the Tri-State Tollway and Grand Avenue.
Plan commission and zoning board members are to host a joint public hearing Aug. 4 on potential regulations for wind energy systems on residential and commercial lots. Community Development Director David Ziegler said a similar hearing will be held regarding rules for solar devices.
Waives: Solar panels could provide $5,000 worth of electricity to mall