Discussion on wind, solar farm moratorium on docket for Thursday meeting

SYCAMORE – When the DeKalb County Regional Planning Commission meets Thursday evening, among the agenda items is an update on the solar and wind farm moratorium passed in March.

The commission will learn the results of a workshop conducted Wednesday night by the Planning and Zoning Committee. The workshop was geared toward drafting an ordinance governing solar farms, as required by the ordinance that instituted the moratorium.

Thursday's meeting will be at
6:30 p.m. at the DeKalb County Administration Building, 110 E. Sycamore St., in Conference Room East.

Board member Tracy Jones, R-Kirkland, said the ordinance is in the early stages, and that the committee has focused more on solar than wind so far.

“It’s kind of a work in progress,” he said.

Jones predicted that it would take a few meetings of the commission before there will be an ordinance, which will be subject to a public hearing.

“County government moves extremely slow,” he said. “It’s not because anyone is lazy. We only meet once a month.”

The moratorium paused the development of wind or solar farms in unincorporated DeKalb County for 18 months, or until the County Board passes a sustainable energy ordinance. The moratorium did not apply to the Nextera Energy Resources wind farm, which received a special use permit in 2009.

In June, two special use permits were granted by the board for two test towers erected in South Grove Township to gauge the feasibility of a wind farm there. EDF Renewable Energy applied for the permits before the moratorium was passed by the County Board.

The Regional Planning Commission is made up of representatives from communities across DeKalb County and meets bimonthly. The last time it discussed the moratorium, it considered amending the moratorium to allow solar panels on homes.