Illinois town faces solar “high noon”
By Bonner Cohen, Ph. D. |February 2nd, 2023|Energy|133 Comments
Will the 11,000 residents of Pontiac, Illinois truly benefit from the proposed construction of a commercial solar farm that would thrust the city into the ranks of a renewable energy producer?
This question will be uppermost on the minds of people attending a Feb. 13 hearing before the City of Pontiac Planning and Zoning Board. The project’s developer, Bundleflower Solar LLC, is seeking favorable treatment from the board that will help move the solar farm from the drawing board to completion.
The future of the project hinges on the board’s granting three requests from the developer. First, Bundleflower Solar requests that the initial term of the Special Use Permit it seeks, which requires commencement of construction within one year of issuance of said permit, be extended to 36 months with the possibility of further extension if “good cause” is shown. Second, the developer is seeking a variance from the Pontiac Zoning Ordinance that would reduce the ordinance’s 1500-foot setback requirement for solar farms near Illinois Route 23 to 100 feet from the highway. Finally, Bundleflower Solar wants the board to rezone the parcel on which the project would be located from a “B-3 Business and Wholesale District to an A-1 Agricultural District.”
https://www.cfact.org/2023/02/02/illinois-town-faces-solar-high-noon/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=illinois-town-faces-solar-high-noon&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=illinois-town-faces-solar-high-noon
