Wind farm zoning issue could last beyond Thursday hearing
URBANA — A zoning board case regarding a proposed 30-turbine wind farm in northeastern Champaign County — now more than a month old — could conclude Thursday night.
Or it could remain before the county zoning board of appeals.
Another public hearing on the California Ridge Wind Energy LLC proposal is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Brookens Administrative Center, 1776 E. Washington St., U. It will be the fifth ZBA hearing on the wind farm.
Board members are still waiting to review county and township road agreements for the upgrade and maintenance of roads in the area of the proposed construction, according to county Zoning Administrator John Hall, and also have not received revisions to a reclamation agreement.
The latter addresses the details of the decommissioning of the wind farm, including how the wind turbine towers would be removed if the business is abandoned.
"We still haven't received any changes regarding a proposed reclamation agreement, so I haven't been able to forward them to the state's attorney's office," Hall said. "I don't see how (the zoning board) can take action Thursday night, but I'm sure the request (to conclude the hearings) will still be there."
The wind farm is the first proposed for Champaign County, and would be part of a larger complex that includes about 100 turbines in northwestern Vermilion County.

More






Comments
News-Gazette.com embraces discussion of both community and world issues. We welcome you to contribute your ideas, opinions and comments, but we ask that you avoid personal attacks, vulgarity and hate speech. We reserve the right to remove any comment at our discretion, and we will block repeat offenders' accounts. To post comments, you must first be a registered user, and your username will appear with any comment you post. Happy posting.