The committee passed the ordinance draft during its meeting Wednesday night at the DeKalb County Legislative Center that now will go before a public hearing officer. County officials made it clear, however, that this is by no means the end of the draft process. ...The moratorium that the county set on wind energy projects in 2017 ...has been extended to the end of the year or until the county passes a final ordinance.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

The developers of a proposed DeWitt County wind farm won a major victory Wednesday night as the County Board rejected new language that could have put a proposed wind farm in jeopardy. After more than three hours of public comment, the county voted 10-1 not to approve a 1,640-foot setback distance from the property lines of a non-participating resident.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

Wind turbines [can] now be placed a minimum of 1,000 feet from a home’s foundation, with other setbacks for roads, powerlines and waterways. Michael Woodyard of the Ad Hoc Citizens Committee for Property Rights spoke to the board Monday to voice concerns about safety, the environment and property rights.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

The phrase “free as the wind” has long symbolized something comforting without cost. The wind has cooled humanity, and smelled good too. 

Impact on Wildlife Impact on People Illinois

The Morgan County Board of County Commissioners is discussing an ordinance that could impact a proposed wind farm near Waverly and Franklin. The board is looking at proposed changes to setbacks and other limitations on the placement of wind turbines near homes after several residents raised concerns about a wind farm’s potential effects on its neighbors.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

Speaking to the Board of Commissioners, Woodyard requested that the County Commissioners place a six-month moratorium on the ordinance, citing that the Regional Planning Commission, which oversees these types of activities, has rarely met to discuss the ramifications of installing wind turbines in Morgan County.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

The committee passed a mandatory setback of 1½ miles from municipal limits, while leaving a 1½- to 3-mile setback window at the discretion of city officials, which was endorsed by DeKalb Mayor Jerry Smith and Sycamore Mayor Curt Lang, who also attended the meeting. Committee members also passed a 1½-mile setback from forest preserves and amended a previously passed component about tower decommissioning.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

Courthouse computer security, enterprise zones and road work were among topics discussed at Monday’s meeting of the Monroe County Board, but the matter drawing the most attention this week is a proposed wind farm in the bluffs.

General Illinois

The Ford County Board’s zoning committee finalized a package of proposed changes to the county’s ordinance regulating wind farms Tuesday morning, including a proposal to more than double the distance that wind turbines must be from homes. ...The committee re-voted on the proposed ordinance to include a setback of 2,250 feet from primary structures, or four times a turbine’s tip height, whichever is greater. The amended proposal was approved unanimously.

Safety Zoning/Planning Illinois

County Mapping, Platting and Zoning Director Mike Fausz said the windmills Koppeis is hoping to erect would be among the largest in the state of Illinois. He also said the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has signaled it has concerns about the wind farm. 

Impact on Landscape Impact on People Illinois

If the committee approves the proposed changes, the ordinance would advance to the zoning board of appeals and planning commission, and those two panels would then vote on whether to concur with the recommended changes before the full county board would take its own vote to approve the revised ordinance.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

Zoning/Planning Illinois

DeWitt County Zoning Board of Appeals asked to change set back locations by an addition 1,000 feet could jeopardize the entire project. 

Zoning/Planning Illinois

The Knox County Board’s Assessor and Zoning Committee voted during its meeting to forward conditional use permits for two temporary meteorological towers for the wind farm to the full Knox County Board. ...Oakland-based Orion Renewable Energy aims to bring the 300-megawatt wind farm to the county. 

Zoning/Planning Illinois

GALESBURG — A fourth wind farm project is in the works for Henry County.

General Illinois

The DeKalb County Planning and Zoning Committee passed several more elements of the ordinance draft during its special meeting. Those new components passed require no radio frequency and electromagnetic field interference as a result of wind turbines, a zero-tolerance policy for shadow flicker and flash, and sound level regulations including a maximum allowable level of 30 decibels from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and 35 decibels from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

NEWMAN — Developers of a wind farm in Douglas County expect to apply for a county permit by the end of summer to begin construction early next year on a 200-megawatt wind project that could be operational by the end of 2019.

Zoning/Planning Illinois

Plans for a wind farm ran into a big problem Monday night after the township voted to ...set stricter rules for wind farms. Tuesday night, township residents voted 86 yes - 57 no to creating a zoning ordinance which would create new rules for their land. 

Zoning/Planning Illinois

A new wind energy battle is taking root in DeWitt County

Impact on People Illinois

DANVILLE –The Danville Area Planning and Zoning Commission this week will revisit changes to the city’s zoning ordinance pertaining to solar energy and wind energy system regulations.

General Illinois