Antioch solar farm proposal sent back to advisory panel for further review
Commission seeks additional expert testimony regarding avian welfare for proposed 20-acre project on farmland
A proposal for a 20-acre solar farm in Antioch will return to an advisory commission that previously recommended it be denied.
Renewable Properties LLC of San Francisco is seeking a zoning variance and special use approval to build the solar farm on 52 acres along the south side of North Avenue just east of Deep Lake Road.
The village’s planning and zoning commission in January 2023 advanced the general concept of what would be the first solar farm in Antioch for more detailed review and a public hearing. This past January, commissioners voted 3-2 to deny the request in part due to its location near the Red Wing Slough natural area and potential impact on birds.
At a special meeting Monday, the village board at the company’s request sent it back to the advisory panel to take “additional evidence on the project’s potential impacts to avian species and other wildlife and any other topics” it deems relevant.
Renewable Properties plans to have Karl Kosciuch, an authority in energy development and wildlife matters, present more detailed information on the potential impacts of the solar array in that area.
“We wanted to find someone who could really speak to the issues,” said Brian Madigan, the company's director of permitting. The hearing is scheduled for March 6.
Kosciuch is wildlife program manager for Tetra Tech, a worldwide consulting firm based in Pasadena, California. His expertise includes the risk and impact assessment of existing and emerging energy technologies on wildlife and habitat.
As planned, the solar farm would generate enough electricity to power 538 homes or about 1,600 people and represent a $5 million investment, according to the company.
The property has been on the market for several years. It’s zoned for estate residential use and identified as being low-density in the village’s comprehensive plan and the visual impact of a solar farm on homes near the site and any future development is a concern for the village.
Renewable Properties is not new to the Antioch area. Last month, the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals granted a conditional use permit for a commercial solar farm on 40 acres in unincorporated Antioch Township near North Avenue and Nelson Road.
Last November, the zoning board also approved a commercial solar energy farm for 28 acres in Fremont Township, the first of its kind in unincorporated Lake County.