Whiteside County Board approves special-use permit for solar farm at McCue and LeFevre roads

MORRISON — The Whiteside County Board has approved a special-use permit for a proposed solar farm at 3493 W. LeFevre Road, where Nexamp Solar LLC wants to build the LeFevre Road Solar Project.

The Sterling City Council in September approved a pre-annexation agreement for the land on which the solar farm will be built. That land is owned by Bill Hermes of TN Hermes. As part of the pre-annexation agreement, Sterling city officials sent a letter to the Whiteside County Board to show their support for the solar farm’s development.

The Whiteside County Board at its Nov. 19 meeting approved the special-use permit on a 13-9 vote, with two abstentions.

Nexamp initially proposed constructing a 5-megawatt solar farm using 28 acres of a 42-acre parcel of prime farmland at that location. However, Nexamp Business Development Manager Jack Curry told the Sterling City Council in September that Hermes wished to keep as much of the land for farming as possible. As a result, the project was scaled down to a 4-megawatt solar farm on 25 acres, leaving 12 to 14 acres for farming.

Sterling City Manager Scott Schumard said in September that the city initially hoped to use the land for future industrial development westward. However, Hermes does not want industrial development on the site in the future, and his wishes forced the city to shift its focus elsewhere, Schumard said.

Curry said the project is estimated to garner $14,000 in tax revenues for Sterling in its first year and more than $278,000 during its 40-year lifetime.