Public hearing on proposed solar farm near Antioch continued again
A public hearing regarding a proposed solar array on a farm field near Antioch has been continued for a third session after residents across the street made their case.
Ironwood Renewables LLC of LaFayette, Louisiana, is proposing to install a solar system covering 36 acres of the nearly 69-acre site south of Beach Grove Road and east of North Grand Avenue bordering Bluff Lake.
The farm field is in unincorporated Lake County and the request for a conditional use permit to build and operate the system is being considered by the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals, which has jurisdiction.
About two dozen homes along North Grand Avenue are in the process of being annexed into Antioch. Village officials approved the annexation, which is considered unusual in that a contiguous connection will be established through Lake Marie and Bluff Lake rather than land.
Annexing to Antioch is a preferred option for residents as a 2023 change in state law diluted the county’s power in the matter and provides them with a more powerful ally.
Hundreds have attended public hearings that began July 31 and resumed this past Thursday. Resident comments concluded after 2 ½ hours and the hearing was continued to Oct. 30 when testimony will be closed and a vote expected.
The panel Thursday asked the petitioner for more information and county staff for a transcript of the July 31 session for review.
Residents oppose the solar farm saying it will create an industrial presence in a rural setting, pose potential health risks to well and lake water, dominate views from front yards and lower property values.
“We’re still in the fight,” said resident and neighborhood organizer Tom Gibadlo.
Before the first hearing, Ironwood revised the plan by shifting some of the panels away from the homes and increased the setback between the closest panels and homes.
“Very extensive screening” would include 414 canopy and understory trees, 261 evergreens and 756 shrubs, according to the application.
At the first session, Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner said he wasn’t opposed to solar in general but that farmland across from homes and the Lake Marie Forest Preserve wasn’t the place.
“For me, these projects seem like money grabs for the land owner and solar companies,” he said at the time.
“There are plenty of places in the county for solar farms, such as the rooftops of industrial buildings or other similar types of spaces,” he added.