By Joyce Blumenshine

The Tuesday, July 9th, Peoria City Council meeting will include a proposal for added restrictions on ground mount solar in the city of Peoria. The Council will vote on a new zoning ordinance which states, “Ground mounted solar energy devices shall be prohibited from being placed in front and corner-side yards.” This means if your home is on a corner lot, no matter what the distance is to the corner, if you are in the city of Peoria that entire corner lot is considered your front yard. A front yard is from the street to the house. Residents will need to apply for a city special use permit after this new ordinance is in place.

The only option for large corner areas may be through the city zoning special use process. A great part of the Peoria decision appears to be patterned on what other are communities are doing. The background information for this ordinance lists what Peoria Heights, East Peoria, Morton, Washington, Pekin, Bloomington and Urbana have for their zoning.