Attendance of the Monroe County Planning Commission meeting scheduled for this Thursday night, Aug. 7, will likely be diminished as a solar farm proposed in rural Waterloo has been removed from the agenda for a second time.

Monroe Sun LLC and Monroe Sun 2 LLC had originally submitted a request to be heard in June regarding a special use permit to construct and operate a solar panel array on a 117-acre parcel west of Maeystown Road just south of Waterloo city limits.

The June planning commission meeting was canceled after the applicant rescinded the permit application, which was re-submitted last month.

Monroe County Zoning Administrator Chris Voelker said this application will once again be submitted for consideration in the near future.

Special use permits for county properties are first heard by the planning commission, then the Monroe County Zoning Board of Appeals. The zoning board then votes whether or not to recommend approval by the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, which ultimately decides to approve or deny a request.

Rural solar farms in Illinois have been constructed more frequently since 2023 when a law was passed which essentially set statewide maximum restriction guidelines for solar power installations, thereby limiting the ability of counties and municipalities in the state to deny solar projects which are proposed in applicable agriculture or industrial zones.

The Aug. 7 planning commission meeting at the Monroe County Courthouse will still be held beginning at 7:30 p.m. for consideration of an area/bulk variance, two special use permits not related to solar power and a final subdivision plat.

Agendas and meeting minutes for the planning commission zoning board may be found at monroecountyil.gov by using the “Departments” drop-down menu and selecting “Zoning & Building.”