The McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals on an undisclosed November hearing approved a conditional use permit for a commercial solar energy facility proposed by Water Locust Solar LLC and added a condition prohibiting on-site battery storage.

The board voted to add the battery-storage prohibition before approving the full set of permit conditions and the conditional use request. After discussion the board recorded the battery-storage condition vote as six in favor and one opposed; later it approved the full conditions and the conditional use permit unanimously and sent the petition to the McHenry County Board for final consideration on Nov. 18.

Why it matters: the battery-storage condition limits the scope of future onsite energy storage unless the applicant returns to the board for an amendment. The board and staff also noted the county’s obligation to follow state standards when those standards are met.

Board discussion focused on public concerns about safety, viewshed and groundwater and on the legal obligation to approve projects that meet state requirements. A member of the board said many objectors raised worries about property values and chemical contamination but that the applicant’s submitted studies did not show evidence of those effects. Another member noted the county and the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) give the board tools — screening, fencing, stormwater conditions — to mitigate local impacts even when state standards apply.

The petition included a set of staff-recommended conditions that the board accepted as amended. The battery-storage prohibition was added as an additional condition (condition number 10). The board then voted 7–0 to approve the conditions and 7–0 to approve the conditional use permit; the petitioner’s application will appear before the McHenry County Board on Nov. 18.

What the record shows: staff confirmed the proposal met state and local permit standards. Board members emphasized the procedural steps remaining after zoning approval, including county board action and subsequent site plan, stormwater and building-permit reviews. The transcript records no formal objections filed into the record at the time of the vote.

Next steps: the project advances to the McHenry County Board on Nov. 18. If approved there, the applicant will still be required to obtain stormwater permits, site-plan approvals and building permits before construction.