Proposed solar farm in DeKalb County up for vote

SQUAW GROVE TOWNSHIP – A new permit request for a 5-megawatt solar farm in Squaw Grove Township will be considered by DeKalb County officials during a special Planning, Zoning and Development Committee meeting Wednesday.

Shenandoah Solar, a limited liability company owned by Ironwood Projects LLC, has sought permission from DeKalb County to build a 5-megawatt commercial solar energy systems on the west side of Somonauk Road in Squaw Grove Township since 2023.

The company initially tried to establish the solar farm across the majority of a 95.73-acre property, but that proposal was met with concern from some DeKalb County landowners, who claimed the solar farm would sit on land meant to provide irrigation for multiple farmers in the southeastern part of the county.

A private agreement between landowners created the Devine Mutual Drainage District in 1951, according to county documents, but that drainage district was not identified on DeKalb County maps of drainage districts.

In June 2023, DeKalb County Board sent the special permit request for an 88-acre solar farm on the Squaw Grove property back to a hearing officer, and in September 2023, a new special permit request was voted down by the DeKalb County Board.

The permit request before the Planning, Zoning and Development Committee Wednesday evening is substantially different from what the County Board considered in 2023 because the request seeks authorization to build and operate a 5-megawatt solar farm on 49.1 acres of the 95.73-acre property, instead of 88 acres.

A public hearing on the new proposal was held on May 16, and five members of the public spoke against the petition, according to county documents.

The DeKalb County Board planning, zoning and development committee will have the option to advance the permit request to the DeKalb County Board during it’s special meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday inside the DeKalb County Legislative Center’s Gathertorium, 200 N. Main Street.

Huddleston McBride Land Drainage Services, a Rochelle-based contractor completed an intensive drainage tile investigation on the property – which is owned by Elaine M. Pospishil Trust 102 – in July 2023 and found there would be no impact on the main district drainage tiles, according to the special use permit application.

Tom Huddleston of Huddleston McBride wrote a March 31 letter to DeKalb County officials advocating for the approval of the project.

“The project has undergone revisions to its layout in order to ensure there will be no impacts on the main ‘district’ drainage tiles. The issues regarding drainage tiles are not uncommon in projects of this nature,” Huddleston wrote. “Having recent relevant experience with many solar development projects in Illinois where drainage tiles are almost always present, we recognize the importance of addressing these concerns in the project’s progression. However, it’s essential to note that these challenges are not unique to this project. Many parcels within the County and across the state of Illinois face similar issues, yet have been deemed suitable for special use with appropriate conditions and safeguards in place.”