A developer who wants to build a small solar energy facility and a data center on Peace Road in DeKalb will bring their plans back to the city for review Tuesday, documents show.

Champaign-based Donato Solar has submitted a petition to rezone and annex about 30 acres of land along the west side of Peace Road between Greenwood Acres and Challeger drives for development.

The plans will go before the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission for the second time at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the DeKalb Public Library.

City staff wrote in an agenda ahead of Tuesday’s meeting that the plan conforms to city code as proposed.

“Due to the minimally invasive nature of ground mounted solar systems, after decommissioning, the land can return to agriculture or if so desired industrial or commercial uses,” staff wrote.

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First proposed in January, the plan also will need DeKalb City Council approval to annex the land and to clear permits for construction.

Donato Solar first submitted a concept plan for a 4-megawatt solar energy system and two 6,000-square-foot data center buildings – what the company is calling a “boutique data center” – to sit at 1199 N. Peace Road.

At the time, the developer pitched the build as a way to “off-set” utility costs, especially during peak energy consumption periods. Energy collected from the solar field would be calculated with existing ComEd meters, according to the development proposal. The project would connecting with the existing downstate Ameren distribution grid down state, documents show.

“The data center buildings will have little foot traffic and are monitored remotely,” under the proposed plan, documents show.

The solar arrays would be about 8 feet tall. The nearest home to the proposed development is about 255 feet to the west, documents show.

Residents in the 1400 block of Cambria Drive submitted letters to the city opposing the build. Thomas Stich and Sandy Stich wrote they do not want to live next to a solar farm, according to city documents.

City staff are recommending approval of the development, however. DeKalb City Council approval also is required.