ALEXIS, Ill. — The Mercer County Zoning Board of Appeals approved the second application from a St. Louis solar company to build a 249-acre solar farm north of the Village of Alexis.
The county rejected an application for the same project earlier this year since it wasn’t completely filled out.
Neighbors near the project argued against the project back in November, citing worries about the size, location and environmental impact of the solar farm.
On Thursday, July 25, the solar company, Birch Creek, presented studies on the potential impact of the project and showed the concessions it made to homeowners.
It reduced the plan by more than 100 acres to give more space to homes and would add plants to hide the solar panels. But neighbors like Renee and Mark Tadie are still frustrated.
“We just don’t want good farmland to be taken for this, there are other places to put them,” Renee said. Mark said he worries about soil erosion, pollution and runoff.
In its presentation, Birch Creek showed plans to reduce soil erosion and control runoff by planting grass below the solar panels and pollinator-friendly plants along the outside.
The Tadies are also worried about noise during the estimated nine months of construction.
Steve Gregory, a farmer who lives across from the Tadies and is a former board member, said he wants to keep the rural character of Mercer County intact.
“We should expect the possibility of being a grain facility, or a machine shed, or a possibility of a hog confinement,” Gregory said. “But we’re out here, in the country, where we want to be, we should not be burdened with looking at solar panels.”
Scott Novack, director of greenfield development for Birch Creek, said the company wants to work with the neighbors.
"We want to be a part of the community," Novack said. "And we recognize it's a farming community. We recognize people are used to seeing corn and beans. We want to preserve that, if at all possible and if we could."
Work is expected to begin in 2026, with construction finishing that December.