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City Council Packet 2023 09-12-23 supplemental packet 1 Have a question or comment about this agenda item? Call us Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm at 630-553-4350, email us at agendas@yorkville.il.us, post at www.facebook.com/CityofYorkville, tweet us at @CityofYorkville, and/or contact any of your elected officials at http://www.yorkville.il.us/320/City-Council Agenda Item Summary Memo Title: Meeting and Date: Synopsis: Council Action Previously Taken: Date of Action: Action Taken: Item Number: Type of Vote Required: Council Action Requested: Submitted by: Agenda Item Notes: Reviewed By: Legal Finance Engineer City Administrator Community Development Purchasing Police Public Works Parks and Recreation Agenda Item Number Mayor’s Report #4 Tracking Number CC 2023-57 Bristol Ridge Solar Farms Discussion City Council – September 12, 2023 CC – 7/25/23 The annexation died for lack of motion and the ordinances were tabled. PZC 2023-02 & EDC 2023-22 PZC 2023-03 & EDC 2023-23 None Informational An update will be given and a discussion will take place. Bart Olson Administration Name Department Supplemental Information – distributed 9/11/23 TurningPoint Energy | 3720 South Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80237 | turningpoint-energy.com September 11, 2023 John Purcell, Mayor Bart Olsen, City Manager United City of Yorkville 651 Prairie Pointe Drive Yorkville, IL 60560 SUBJECT: TPE KE105/TPE KE106 Community Solar Project Benefits Dear Mayor Purcell and City Manager Olsen, TurningPoint Energy d/b/a TPE development, LLC (“TPE”) prides itself as a company in working with communities to develop projects with the communities we work in that provide tangible benefits to the host communities. This is most apparent through our community giving on every project but permeates our entire development process from design to neighbor and community outreach. The two community solar projects TPE IL KE105, LLC (“KE105”) and TPE IL KE106, LLC (“KE106”) (collectively the “Projects”) that TPE is developing in the United City of Yorkville will provide numerous benefits to the City and its residents. These include the following: • Tax Revenue: Minimum of 20 years of guaranteed increased tax revenue to the City, the CU-115 school District and the Yorkville Library; • Power Savings: Electricity savings opportunity for local residents and businesses; • Community Engagement & Investment: Charitable donations to local organizations doing good work in the community; • Community Oriented Design: The Projects are designed in accordance with Yorkville community standards and to integrate with the surrounding area; • Temporary Land Use: The Projects are a temporary land use and as such will allow redevelopment in the future in accordance with future Yorkville needs. Tax Revenue If approved, each of the two projects is expected to provide approximately $34,775 in tax revenue to the City, $430,000 to the CU-115 School District, and $16,500 to the Yorkville Library over 20 years. Power Savings By subscribing to the Projects, residents and businesses can receive power savings on their electric bills through the receipt of community solar bill credits. There is no long-term commitment and no upfront cost for subscribers. Page 2 of 3 Community Engagement & Investment TPE invests in every community where our projects are located. We seek out charitable organizations doing good work in the communities we work in. As part of the Projects, we would commit a total of $40,000 in donations ($20,000 per project) to local charitable efforts in Yorkville. Additionally, TPE engaged with abutters of the properties of the planned projects. • Valazquez Family. TPE met with the closest residential abutter, the Valazquez family, multiple times prior to submitting a permitting application to the City to discuss the project. At the family’s request, we made modifications to both the panel locations and the site buffer. • Jehovah’s Witness Church. On the north-end of the northern project area, the parcel adjoins the Jehovah’s Witness Church building and property. We met with two Church Elders and incorporated a “no spray radius” for herbicides and pesticides from the church well per the elders’ wishes. • Bristol Tap. The southern project area adjoins the Railroad, the ComEd Substation, Bristol Tap, Refrigeration Unlimited and five residential abutters. TPE met with Mike Siddon of the Bristol Tap and Sean Ferring of Refrigeration Unlimited and knows of no objections to the project. • Concerned Abutters at the Town Council Public Hearing. Following the Planning and Zoning Commission Public Hearing regarding the project on May 10, 2023, TPE met with concerned neighbors outside the building, answered their questions, provided our contact information, and suggested they attend the next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting where their questions can be answered by our civil engineers and drain tile consultants. Community Oriented Design TPE’s design standards ensure that the Projects meet or exceed community standards including setbacks, buffering and visibility, fencing, and drainage. • Setbacks. The Projects were designed to maximize setbacks from both Cannonball Trail and neighboring parcels. o KE106, the northern site, is ~215 feet from the church building and ~590 feet from the Velazquez home to the southwest. o KE105, the southern site, is ~1,085 feet from the property lines of the homes to the west and ~888 feet from Bristol Tap and Refrigeration Unlimited. • Buffering and Visibility. Our initial project design proposed a vegetative buffer and slatted chain link fence. The vegetative screening consists of a 20-foot-wide corridor of shrub and evergreen plantings which would mature over time to obscure the view of the array coupled with a slatted chain link fence. Alternatively, TPE is willing to install a wood fence along the western property line to further mitigate any potential views of the array. Page 3 of 3 • Fencing. Each Project would be entirely enclosed with a 8’ fence in accordance with Yorkville’s Ordinance. • Drainage. Drainage was one of the main issues raised during the initial public hearing. TPE addressed this issue with the support of our drain tile consultant, at the subsequent Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on July 12, 2023. As stated at that meeting, the Projects will not change the topography, remove any topsoil, or impact offsite drainage. The Projects will repair and replace existing onsite drain tiles; and no new impacts will be created. o Our civil engineers insist that using native plant species with deeper root systems on the parcels will cause the ground to absorb more rainwater, thereby reducing stormwater runoff and (potential) flooding of neighboring parcels. • Site Decommissioning. TPE’s Decommissioning Plan includes financial security to ensure the decommissioning tasks are completed. The estimate number is escalated at an inflation rate of 3% for 20 years multiplied by 120% per Staff’s recommendation. Temporary Land Use The Projects are a long-term, but not permanent land use. Each project is contracted to generate energy for a minimum 20-year term. Our design considerations ensures they are able to maintain the integrity of the acreage to return to agricultural land at the end of facility operations. Our team genuinely appreciates the opportunity to provide community solar to the United City of Yorkville with substantial, long-term benefits to both the City and its residents. Sincerely, Scott Osborn Director of Project Development TurningPoint Energy (303) 618-9570 sosborn@tpoint-e.com