Kendall County Times

City of Yorkville Economic Development Committee met March 5.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

In Attendance:

Committee Members

Chairman Joe Plocher

Alderman Dan Transier

Alderman Seaver Tarulis

Absent: Alderman Chris Funkhouser

Other City Officials

City Administrator Bart Olson

Assistant City Administrator Erin Willrett

Community Development Director Krysti Barksdale-Noble

Planner I Sara Mendez

Code Official Pete Ratos

Other Guests

David Petesh via Zoom 

Mike Keith, Atwell

Dan Kramer, Attorney 

Hanna Udischas, Nexamp

Matt Kwiatkowski, Nexamp 

Patrick Childress, Global Access Partners

The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm by Chairman Joe Plocher. Citizen Comments None

Chairman Plocher asked to move item #6 forward on the agenda.

6. EDC 2024-19 Corneils Solar Farm – Annexation, Rezoning and Special Use Attorney Dan Kramer introduced the Nexamp representatives and the civil engineer and noted that Nexamp will be moving their corporate headquarters to Chicago.

Ms. Noble summarized the project for the committee and said the property is outside Yorkville's corporate boundaries on Corneils Rd. and will require annexation, rezoning and a special use. It is 3 parcels on 94 acres owned by Gary and Betty Bennett and the proposed solar field would be on 30-35 acres. There will be a Public Hearing for the Annexation on April 23rd and all parcels will automatically be rezoned to R-1. The petitioner will seek a rezoning to A-1 along with a Special Use. Ms. Noble described other details of the project and said there are about 12,000 solar modules and there is a 20 years lease with a 20-year option to extend the agreement. The petitioner also meets the proposed changes to the UDO. She noted a glare study had been completed and setbacks and height requirements are met. The fence, access road and landscape plan were also noted and a decommissioning estimate was provided. A small area for battery storage was mentioned and if allowed, will require special conditions for safety reasons.

Mr. Matt Kwiatkowski of Nexamp gave a brief overview of their company, number of projects statewide and noted the project benefits including the tax base increase from $2,300 to $14,000 in the first year, when used as a solar field. When the project has finished the lifespan, it will be restored to farmland. Nexamp also has an inter-connection agreement with ComEd.

Civil Engineer Mike Keith discussed the access, setbacks, battery storage and low noise. Since they wish to expand the crossing of Rob Roy Creek, they are working with the Army Corps, noting also that it is a floodway/floodplain. He said all wires will be underground to the inter-connection point. He also talked about the landscape plan, the pollinator mix and the chain link fence with the additional screening from the existing tree line.

The proposed project will move to the April 10th PZC meeting for rezoning and special use and then to City Council for an annexation Public Hearing.

Minutes for Correction/Approval February 6, 2024

The minutes were approved as presented.

New Business

1. EDC 2024-14 Building Permit Report for January 2024

Mr. Ratos said there were 15 single-family detached and 59 permits in general. He said it was slower in January, partly due to the cold weather.

2. EDC 2024-15 Building Inspection Report for January 2024

There were 408 inspections, mostly single family homes. Some inspections were outsourced, however, most were done in-house.

3. EDC 2024-16 Property Maintenance Report for January 2024

Mr. Ratos said there was only 1 case in January and involved a contractor using water for about 4 hours with no meter and fined $75. He said the water department has asked for strict enforcement of water usage to help decrease water loss.

4. EDC 2024-17 Economic Development Report for February 2024

The committee was referred to the report in the agenda packet.

5. EDC 2024-18 Ordinance Approving an Amendment to the Yorkville Unified Development Ordinance Regarding Alternative Energy Use Standards (Solar Farms)

Ms. Noble said staff has incorporated 2 of 3 of the EDC requests for revisions regarding solar farms. Text amendment revisions for typographical errors and some clarifications from the transition to the UDO are also proposed. One of the requests was for a minimum 1,000 foot distance from major roadways to solar farms and another request was to add a minimum distance of 1,000 feet from the Fox River to solar arrays. An EDC request was also made for a maximum of 5 solar farms in the city. After review by the City Attorney, she felt restricting the number was too broad, not applied to other land uses and could result in future issues. Proposed changes to the Text Amendment were also included for committee review.

Chairman Plocher asked about a past suggested moratorium for banks on major roadway corners. Mr. Olson said no action was taken, but restrictions on drive-throughs were implemented at that time. Alderman Transier commented he would like to see the number of solar farms limited, so Mr. Olson suggested that conversation be brought up at City Council.

The next step for this is the Planning and Commission meeting on March 13th.

Old Business: None

Additional Business: None

There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 6:27pm.

https://www.yorkville.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5626