Farmland on the edge of Crete just moved a big step closer to becoming a sea of solar panels, after a Will County planning panel on Monday advanced a special-use request for a massive project that could cover roughly 2,400 acres in and around the village.
Commission nudges giant solar build toward final vote
The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission gave preliminary approval to Earthrise Energy’s special-use permit for about 1,900 acres in unincorporated Will County. The Village of Crete has already annexed roughly 200 acres and plans to annex about 620 more, bringing the total footprint to about 2,400 acres, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Officials and the company say the project would generate roughly $2.3 million in new revenue for local taxing bodies in its first year, with about $1.2 million slated for Crete-Monee School District 201-U, $135,000 to Will County, and roughly $40,000 to the village. Earthrise told officials that routing payments directly to taxpayers would be possible but ultimately up to the school board. The Tribune also reports the company expects to decommission the site after roughly 35 years and that the county board will consider final approval on April 16 in Joliet.
Developer leans on jobs pitch and existing grid ties
Earthrise and its supporters are selling the development as both a clean-energy play and a local economic boost, estimating several hundred temporary union construction jobs during buildout and about 30 permanent positions once the project is operating. Company representatives say they can plug into nearby transmission capacity by tying into Earthrise’s existing Crete generation infrastructure, which they argue shortens interconnection timelines.
Local reporting has described developers offering community payments and negotiating road-use and interconnection agreements as they chase permits. Beecher Local has covered that outreach and the company’s employment pitch.
Farmers and neighbors say they were kept in the dark
Opposition has been loud and pointed from farmers and nearby residents, who argue they were not properly notified and warn that the largely rural area could be permanently transformed if the project goes through. Residents and a local attorney told the commission that missed or late notices could invite legal challenges, and several farmers said they never received flyers or direct outreach from the developer, according to the Chicago Tribune…