Kendall County Times

City of Yorkville Planning and Zoning Commission met April 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

Meeting Called to Order

Chairman Richard Vinyard called the meeting to order at 7:00pm, roll was called and a quorum was established.

Roll Call

Ryan Forristall-yes, Reagan Goins-yes, Greg Millen-yes, Rich Vinyard-yes

Absent: Danny Williams, Rusty Hyett

City Staff

Krysti Barksdale-Noble, Community Development Director

Sara Mendez, Planner I

Other Guests

Lynn Dubajic Kellogg, City Consultant 

Matt Kwiatkowski, Nexamp 

Chris Vitosh, Vitosh Reporting Service 

Michael Keith, Atwell, LLC 

Dan Kramer, Attorney 

Hanna Udischas, Nexamp 

Elizabeth Bruns, Nexamp 

Betty Bennett, landowner 

Gary Bennett, landowner 

Jerome Gawlik, Homeowner 

Patti Bakala, Homeowner, Corneils Rd. 

David Petesch, Kendall County Record (via Zoom) 

Previous Meeting Minutes March 13, 2024

Motion by Ms. Goins and second by Mr. Millen to approve the minutes as presented. Roll call: Forristall-yes, Goins-yes, Millen-yes, Vinyard-yes. Carried 4-0. Citizen’s Comments None

Public Hearings

1. PZC 2024-05 Corneils Road Solar, LLC, petitioner, on behalf of Gary L. and Betty S. Bennett, owners, has filed applications with the United City of Yorkville, Kendall County, Illinois, requesting rezoning classification and special use authorization. The real property is generally located immediately north of Corneils Road, approximately 1,700 feet east of Beecher Road, and approximately 4,300 feet west of IL. Route 47 (N. Bridge Street) consisting of 94 acres. The petitioner is requesting rezoning approval from R-1 Single-Family Suburban Residential District to A-1 Agricultural District (contingent on approval of annexation by the City Council). The petitioner is also requesting special use permit approval in pursuant to Section 10-8-5 of the Yorkville City Code for a solar farm.

Chairman Vinyard explained the procedure for the Hearing and swore in those persons who planned to present testimony during the Hearing.

A motion was made and seconded by Ms. Goins and Mr. Millen, respectively, to open the Public Hearing at approximately 7:01pm. Roll call: Goins-yes, Millen-yes, Vinyard-yes, Forristall-yes. Carried 4-0.

Mr. Vinyard read the Hearing description.

At approximately 7:43pm a motion was made by Ms. Goins and seconded by Mr. Millen to close the Public Hearing. Roll call: Millen-yes, Vinyard-yes, Forristall-yes, Goins-yes, Carried 4-0.

(See Court Reporter's transcript of Public Hearing)

Petitioner requested standards and application to become part of official record.

Unfinished Business None

New Business

1. PZC 2024-05 Corneils Road Solar, LLC, (same as description above) Ms. Noble said the annexation request will go before the City Council on April 23rd. She offered a few other comments regarding the petition. She noted the property is contiguous to the city boundaries. The rezoning request is for A-1 Agricultural since the zoning defaults to R-1 when a property is annexed and if the annexation request is approved, a revision will be made to the Comprehensive Plan. She noted the site is 94 acres, however, only 31 acres will be used for the solar field and all setbacks are met. The 31-acre site will hold about 11,500 modules, with a height of 20 feet. There is a 20- year lease with options to extend. Ms. Noble noted the nearest residential land to the nearest array meets the recently passed requirements. A glare study was done with no issues and the engineer is recommending a photometric plan. Fencing is required and landscaping and buffering will also be provided. The decommissioning plan was discussed with a security guarantee required. A blanket easement or license agreement will be provided to enter the property if necessary. There is also a battery energy storage system on site and is considered an accessory use. Engineering comments were provided and will be included as conditions of the special use. There was no further discussion.

Action Item

Rezoning

A motion was made by Mr. Millen and seconded by Ms. Goins to approve PZC 2024-05 and Ms. Goins read the motion as follows: In consideration of testimony presented during a Public Hearing on April 10, 2024 and discussion of the findings of fact, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommends approval to the City Council a request for rezoning from R-1 Single-Family Residential to A-1 Agricultural District for the purpose of constructing a freestanding solar energy system, or solar farm, contingent upon approval of Annexation by the City Council, for approximately 94 acres of existing farmland located immediately north of Corneils Road, east of Beecher Road and west of IL Route 47 (N. Bridge Street).

Chairman Vinyard read the standards and UDO standards.

Roll call: Vinyard-yes, Forristall-yes, Goins-yes, Millen-yes. Carried 4-0.

Action Item

Special Use

Ms. Goins moved and Mr. Millen seconded a motion to approve the PZC 2024-05 Special Use request. Ms. Goins read the motion as follows: In consideration of testimony presented during a Public Hearing on April 10, 2024 and discussion of the findings of fact, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommends approval to the City Council a request for Special Use authorization to construct a freestanding solar energy system, or solar farm, contingent upon approval of annexation by the City Council, for approximately 31 acres generally located north of Corneils Road, east of Beecher Road and west of IL Route 47 (N. Bridge Street), subject to staff recommendations in a memo dated April 2, 2024.

Roll call: Forristall-yes, Goins-yes, Millen-yes, Vinyard-yes. Carried 4-0. The standards were reviewed following the vote.

Additional Business

1. City Council Action Updates

a. PZC 2024-06 United City of Yorkville

Ms. Mendez said there was a Text Amendment for the Alternative Energy Use Standards.

Adjournment

There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 7:59pm on a motion by Ms. Goins, seconded by Mr. Millen and approved on a unanimous voice vote.

https://www.yorkville.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5688