Land Use: Beecher-Area Solar Permit Extension Advances After $1 Million Spent

Will County Land Use & Development Committee | October 1, 2026

Article Summary: The Will County Board Land Use & Development Committee on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, voted 5-1 to recommend a first 180-day extension of a special use permit for a 3-megawatt solar facility on South Western Avenue in Will Township near Beecher, after the developer reported spending over roughly $1 million without yet filing for a building permit.

S Western Sun Extension Key Points:

• SEXT-26-022 would extend the special use permit granted in zoning case ZC-24-058 (S-24-066) through March 18, 2027.
• The developer reports over approximately $1 million spent, including more than $550,000 in ComEd interconnection costs and fees.
• The county has yet to receive a building permit application for the site, according to a Sept. 21, 2026, staff memo.
• The committee recommended the extension 5-1 with no discussion, with Judy Ogalla opposed.

WILL TOWNSHIP — The Will County Board Land Use & Development Committee on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, voted 5-1 to recommend a first 180-day extension of a special use permit for a commercial solar energy facility on vacant property along South Western Avenue near Beecher.

The case, SEXT-26-022, concerns 22C Development LLC doing business as S Western Sun LLC, on behalf of Dustin and Stephanie Walker, the owners of record. The underlying permit was granted in zoning case ZC-24-058 (S-24-066) with five conditions, for PIN 20-21-13-400-001-0000 in County Board District 2.

The committee took the item up with no discussion. Pretzel, Newquist, Brooks, Bullock and Mitchell voted yes; Ogalla voted no. The vote is a recommendation only, and the extension is not granted unless the full County Board approves it.

A memo from Zoning Administrator Marguerite Kenny, AICP, dated Sept. 21, 2026, states that since approval the applicant “has been working on the required submittals and site due diligence required to apply for a building permit as well as state application filings,” and that “the County has yet to receive a building permit application for this site.” Under Section 155-16.40(J) of the county zoning ordinance, special use permits have two years to legally establish the use by having all required permits issued; Section 155-16.40(J)(2) authorizes the County Board to extend that period for good cause on up to four separate occasions, by up to 180 days each. The applicant filed its extension application Sept. 14, 2026; if approved, the extension runs through March 18, 2027.

What the Project Is

Per the Sept. 3, 2024, statement of facts prepared by Land Use staff member Kelli Kruczynski, the project is a 3-megawatt commercial solar energy facility on roughly 25 acres of an 80.686-acre A-1 agricultural parcel on the west side of South Western Avenue about a quarter mile north of West Indiana Avenue and 1.52 miles west of the village of Beecher. It lies within the South Suburban airport footprint. The applicant proposed approximately 9,360 photovoltaic panels on a single-axis tracking system with anti-glare coating, not exceeding 20 feet in height at maximum tilt, offset 50 feet from all property lines and more than 360 feet from adjacent residences or occupied community buildings, with the inverter the only noise-generating equipment on site. The facility would be secured with an eight-foot-high fixed-knot woven wire farm fence with keyed entry and Knox boxes for emergency access. No full-time employees would be on site; the property would be monitored remotely around the clock. The lease runs 25 years with the possibility of four five-year extensions, meaning the development could exist for roughly 45 years.

The report lists a Land Evaluation and Site Assessment score of 236, placing the site in the Essential Farmland category. Staff noted that while the Illinois Department of Agriculture advises that scores above 225 be preserved for farmland, that policy can be enforced only when a project uses federal funding, and that the project did not intend to use federal dollars at the time of the report. The Will-South Cook Soil and Water Conservation District recommends protecting any site scoring above 185.

The five conditions attached to the permit are a right of entry for Land Use Department and Sheriff’s Department employees on 14 days’ written notice; underground on-site power lines and utility connections except where necessary to connect to existing overhead lines; transferability to subsequent property owners; proof of a Phase 1 archaeological reconnaissance survey per Illinois Historic Preservation Office Log #017080823 at the time of permitting; and consultation with the Beecher Fire District on the final emergency services plan, with copies furnished to the fire district and the Will County Emergency Management Agency.

Investment and Delays

In an extension memorandum signed by Alex Farkes of S Western Sun LLC, the applicant states total investment “over approximately one million dollars,” itemized as over approximately $550,000 in ComEd interconnection related costs and fees, $75,000 in environmental, engineering and design expenses, $50,000 in permitting, legal and other development costs, and over $100,000 in other project-related expenditures.

Milestones listed include a completed ALTA survey, a commenced civil design set, interconnection design, an Illinois Power Agency Adjustable Block Program REC award, floodplain and wetland analysis, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nationwide permit issuance and re-submission, and transformer purchasing and design offsite.

The memorandum attributes delays to what it calls “Big Beautiful Bill impacts,” continued updates in the Illinois Power Agency Adjustable Block Program, solar module procurement, Army Corps permit updates and floodplain analysis. It also argues that “the two-year deadline imposed under the County’s Special Use Ordinance is extremely aggressive for solar projects,” noting that state law at 55 ILCS 5/5-12020(i-5) now requires that permits for solar facilities allow for a term of five years from the date of special use approval.

Next steps listed are a road use agreement, completion of civil designs for final construction drawings, and agreement with ComEd on a proposed in-service date. The memorandum states the extension “will not result in any changes to the Project as previously approved.”

The 2024 Approval Was Contested

The ordinance in the packet records a County Board vote of 12-9 on Sept. 19, 2024, with one member absent. The Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation passed 6-1, with Commissioner Karen Warrick opposed, after the commission postponed the case unanimously at its Aug. 6, 2024, hearing.

Agency comments in the packet include an objection from then-Will Township Supervisor Brian Cann, who wrote on July 24, 2024, that the township and township road district requested the county deny the permit, citing soil, tile and drainage disturbance, doubts that farmland would be restored on decommissioning, and conflict with the township comprehensive plan. The Will-South Cook district raised concerns about damage to existing field tile, long-term tile maintenance and impacts to an on-site wetland. The Federal Aviation Administration determined the panels and temporary construction equipment posed no hazard to air navigation.