Solar farm surrounding historic Col. Whitney House OK’d

DIXON – A solar farm soon will surround the historic Col. Nathan Whitney House, albeit with a few more conditions than previously planned.

On Thursday, Lee County Board members voted 13-5 to approve a special-use permit for Amboy IL Solar 1 LLC – a part of Distributed Solar Development LLC owned by BlackRock – to develop a 6-megawatt solar farm on about 30 acres of land behind and to one or both sides of the Whitney House.

Located at 1620 Whitney Road, Franklin Grove, the Whitney House has been part of the National Register of Historic Places since 1990. It was built in 1860 for Col. Nathan Whitney, a veteran of the War of 1812 who settled in the area in 1836 and founded the Franklin Grove Nursery and Orchards.

Board members Lirim Mimini, Angie Shippert, Reed Akre, Tim Bivins and Ron Gascoigne voted against allowing the solar farm. The 13 other board members present voted in favor of it.

Board member Michael Pearson was absent. Former board member Danielle Allen is moving out of Lee County and turned in her resignation before the meeting.

“The board is able to vote on projects like this and, while state lawmakers have made a more restrictive ordinance in future applications, we do have the ability to vote on what’s best for our county, both now and in the future,” Shippert said before the vote.

The village of Franklin Grove, Franklin Grove Township and several community members oppose the solar farm, she said.

“This isn’t just deciding based on two different parties what you want to do with it and what your gut feelings are. You go through, you follow the steps of the statute or the ordinance, you apply them, and then you go with what’s based on the Lee County Comprehensive Plan, and whether you believe they’ve met those requirements is up to you to decide at that point.”

—  Lee County State's Attorney Charley Boonstra

In a previous interview with Shaw Media, Whitney House owner George Breust said he “can’t live with” the project and that he can’t imagine he and his wife, Irene, would stay if the project were to move forward. The Breusts have lived in the house for 20 years.

“We have to remember that under the present ordinance that we have in place, you know, it’d be a 400-foot setback from the foundation of this property,” Lee County Board Vice Chair Tom Kitson said before casting a “yes” vote. “And, whether we like this or not, it is a lottery whether it moves forward. If they reapply, that setback would be reduced to 150 feet, and we have no say over that as the state ordinance has changed. Just a reminder.”

Lee County State’s Attorney Charley Boonstra reminded board members that the vote was part of a permitting process.

“This isn’t just deciding based on two different parties what you want to do with it and what your gut feelings are,” he said. “You go through, you follow the steps of the statute or the ordinance, you apply them, and then you go with what’s based on the Lee County Comprehensive Plan, and whether you believe they’ve met those requirements is up to you to decide at that point.”

When asked by board member Mike Book, Boonstra said the county’s comprehensive plan would permit such a development.

County Board members originally were set to make a decision during their June meeting, but they tabled the vote until this month while waiting for a report on the issue from the State Historic Preservation Office.

The report came in and was shared with board members in an Aug. 4 email, Lee County renewable energy coordinator Alice Henkel said.

“The report, along with its findings, recommended three conditions that would address the state’s concerns regarding the proposed project’s effects on this historic property,” Henkel said.

The SHPO’s suggested conditions were to extend the vegetative screen by 200 feet; ensure the screen is sufficiently wide, sufficiently dense and that it provides visual screening from the Whitney House’s understory to about 30 feet high at maturity; and that the site and planting plans be submitted to the SHPO for further review and comment.

Lee County Board members included SHPO’s suggestions as part of the special-use permit’s conditions, in addition to conditions put forth by the Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals.

In May, the Lee County ZBA did not give any formal recommendation for the project after a tie vote. ZBA members Bruce Forster and Craig Buhrow voted in favor, while Ali Huss and Mike Pratt voted against.