City Council Packet 2023 09-12-23 supplemental packet 1
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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:
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Agenda Item Notes:
Reviewed By:
Legal
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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.
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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.
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• 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