May 21, 2024
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Yorkville City Council grants solar farm final approval... again

Permit revised to reflect the intended 27 acres instead of the original 48 acres

By David Petesch
The solar farm at Huntley High School on Friday, June 30, 2023. Multiple solar farms across McHenry County are being presented to the McHenry County Board creating concerns of watershed, farmland and pollinator issues.

New Leaf Energy project developer Tom Ryan told board members in February that the approved solar farm facility will be capable of producing enough electricity to power 850 homes. (Gregory Shaver — gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )

The first of two solar farm developments approved in Yorkville moves closer to construction after City Council members approved a revised special use permit for developers at the meeting held on Dec. 12.

Developer New Leaf Energy will construct the 9,700 panel solar farm east of Beecher Road just north of the BNSF Rail Road on the northwest side of the city.

The special use permit was approved in a 4-1 vote with Alderman Seaver Tarulis voting no and Alderman Craig Soling voting “here.” Developers were not in attendance, and there was no discussion by board members before the vote.

The board previously approved the permitting for the solar farm at an April 11 meeting, but upon further review it was determined that the legal description covered a larger plot of land than developers intended to lease.

Community Development Director Kristi Barksdale-Noble told board members the special use permit was revised to reflect the intended 27 acres, rather than the original 48 acres and there were no other changes to the proposal.

The land, currently farmed for row crops, sits just outside city limits and will be leased by New Leaf from the Robert M. & Ildefonsa Loftus Living Trust on a 20-year term. As part of the deal, the land was annexed and rezoned by the city when the permit was first approved in April.

Map of New Leaf Energy's solar farm development east of Beecher Road north of the BNSF Railroad in Yorkville, approved by Yorkville City Council on Dec. 12, 2023.

Map of New Leaf Energy's solar farm development east of Beecher Road north of the BNSF Railroad in Yorkville, approved by Yorkville City Council on Dec. 12, 2023. (Photo Provided by the City of Yorkville)

The array of 9,700 solar panels and 5 megawatt freestanding facility will be sit about 100 feet from Beecher Road and run east to Rob Roy Creek. A chain link fence will be installed with slats placed on the portion facing Beecher Road.

Developers will pay $315,932 to the city in lieu of the required road improvements to Beecher Road, due before the building permit is issued and will be escrowed for future Beecher Road improvements. Developers must also provide a security guarantee of $361,270.59 for the decommission of the system.

City Administrator Bart Olson said a building permit is the last approval needed by developers before construction can begin, but developers have not yet provided the city with a construction timeline.

New Leaf Energy project developer Tom Ryan told board members in February that the facility will be capable of producing enough electricity to power 850 homes, and would not affect traffic as it will be operated remotely.

The project will include the solar panel array and supporting equipment, including two electrical transformers and two inverters. New Leaf Energy will sell the power produced by the solar farm to ComEd.

A second Yorkville solar farm proposal from developers Turning Point Energy was approved in a split vote in October. The Turning Point solar farm will also be constructed along the north side of the BNSF Railway, on a 54-acre site east of Cannonball Trail.