Economic Development Minutes 2023 10-03-23APPROVED 11/7/23
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UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 6:00pm
East Conference Room, #337
651 Prairie Pointe Drive, Yorkville, IL
In Attendance:
Committee Members
Chairman Joe Plocher Alderman Seaver Tarulis
Alderman Dan Transier Alderman Chris Funkhouser (remote)
Other City Officials
Assistant City Administrator Erin Willrett
Community Development Director Krysti Barksdale-Noble
Code Official Pete Ratos
City Consultant Lynn Dubajic Kellogg
Other Guests
David Schultz, HR Green Dan Kramer, Attorney (remote)
Brian Matheny, Cultivate Power Nico Galletout, Cultivate Power
Angela Feria, Cultivate Power
The meeting was called to order at 6:01pm by Chairman Joe Plocher. He asked to move
agenda item #6 to the beginning of the agenda.
Citizen Comments None
Minutes for Correction/Approval September 5, 2023
The minutes were approved as presented.
New Business
6. EDC 2023-44 Lanceleaf Solar – Amendment, Rezone, Special Use and Variance
(out of sequence)
Ms. Noble presented a summary of the proposed solar project in Bailey Meadows
subdivision which was approved 20 years ago as a PUD, but not developed. This is 37
acres at the southwest corner of Rt. 47 and Baseline Road. The petitioner would be
requesting a rezone to agriculture, a special use for solar farm and an annexation
agreement amendment which would remove this parcel from the PUD. They also need a
variance since it would be a primary use, not a secondary use--the ordinance currently
states that a solar field must be a secondary use to a primary use. Another variance
would be for the panel height reducing it from 10 feet to 2 feet, which staff supports.
A concern is that the land use on this “hard” corner is typically zoned for business. The
petitioner maintains the property already has business zoning and has not developed after
20 years. There are also no public utilities in the area to support commercial use. This
use would not produce sales tax as a solar field. Another staff concern was
decommissioning and the petitioner was asked to provide bonding and a 3% escalator
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each year. Comments were received from Engineering and Police which were
addressed.
Mr. Galletout presented info about their company. Their company focus is on solar and
storage and has been in Illinois since 2015, based near Chicago. Ms. Feria said this site
was chosen since there is a substation less than 1 mile away, the land is flat, it does not
impact wetlands and is not close to neighbors. The solar panels will only be on 7 acres
and they already have an agreement with ComEd. She said they would have a chain link
fence and comply with IDNR pollinators. They also have an Agricultural Impact
Mitigation Agreement and will restore the land when the solar is done. She said some of
the benefits are lower electricity costs, low impact, they already have a lease with the
landowner and the tax they would pay would be 17 times the amount paid now per year.
Mr. Galletout said a portion of the revenue they would receive would go towards
community initiatives or the area workforce.
Chairman Plocher said this is not a good site and would be the first thing that people see
as they enter Yorkville. Alderman Transier said if there is a Metra extension in the
future, this land would be valuable. He said eventually this land will be highly sought
after and that a site away from the main road would be better as we reduce fossil fuel
dependence. He favors solar power, but not in this location. Mr. Galletout said his
company did think about pushing the project away from the road, constructing a berm
and leaving the commercial area available. Alderman Tarulis does not favor this location
since the city would be restricting future opportunities for growth. Also weighing in was
Alderman Funkhouser saying that it would be hard to justify solar on a “hard” corner that
has big potential.
1. EDC 2023-39 Building Permit Report for August 2023
Mr. Ratos said there were 285 permits issued in August and as of now, over 1,800
permits have been issued so far this year.
2. EDC 2023-40 Building Inspection Report for August 2023
There were 1,163 inspections in August and some are still being outsourced, said Mr.
Ratos.
3. EDC 2023-41 Property Maintenance Report for August 2023
Many complaints were investigated in August, however, only one came to a hearing and
the offender was found liable for a weeds and grass complaint. The rest of the cases
came into compliance. Alderman Tarulis asked if all fines had been paid by the offender
adding that the HOA has taken the offender to court. Mr. Ratos said he does not think so,
but he will check for sure.
4. EDC 2023-42 Economic Development Report for September 2023
Ms. Dubajic Kellogg took note that as of the September building report, the construction
amount has reached $85 million and she said it is recognized by many people. She also
hopes that Station 1 will open in 2023 and Mr. Ratos added there has been significant
delays with electrical panels. The Little Loaf Bakehouse is expected to open at the end of
the month or next month.
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5. EDC 2023-43 Kendall Marketplace Lots 4 & 5 - Commercial Final Plat
Ms. Noble said the current two lots will be subdivided into three one-acre lots. There is a
utility easement between the two existing lots that will be abrogated so all 3 lots can be
developed. Engineering has reviewed and the final plat will be presented at PZC next
week and then at City Council at the end of the month. The committee was OK with this.
7. EDC 2023-45 Kendall County Petition 23-30 – 1.5 Mile Review (6145 Whitetail
Ridge Drive)
Ms. Noble reported this parcel was once 2 parcels with a utility easement in between and
was later consolidated into one parcel. There is a home already built, the petitioner
wishes to build an addition and the easement needs to be vacated. The county and city
staff and HOA are not opposed and this will proceed to PZC next week. Mr. Dan
Kramer, the petitioner's attorney, said the petitioner wishes to build the addition to
accommodate a disabled relative. There are no utilities in the easement. The committee
was OK with this.
Old Business: None
Additional Business: None
There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 6:39pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by
Marlys Young, Minute Taker
City of Yorkville: Special Use
Permit, Rezoning, and
Variance Applications
Lanceleaf Solar Project, LLC
Nico Galletout,Cultivate Power
Angela Feria, Cultivate Power
October 03, 2023
PZC 2023 -13
Agenda
•About Cultivate Power
•Project Overview
•Questions
COMMUNITY SOLAR IN ILLINOIS
Illinois passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in September 2021 setting the
target that renewables will account for 50% of the state’s electricity by 2040.
Community solar is cornerstone of reaching that target.
These community solar projects will connect to the local distribution grid and
provide power within ComEd Illinois service territory.
ComEd customers – homeowners, renters, businesses – can subscribe to a portion
of the community solar farm and, in turn, receive a credit on their electric bill.
•Proximity to relevant electrical and road infrastructure
•Topography and wetlands
•Not in close proximity to neighbors
•Interest from our landowners
•Current use and surrounding uses
PROJECT LOCATION
Location: South and west of the intersection of
Rob Roy Creek (Hwy 47) and Baseline Rd
Township : Yorkville
Zoning District: PUD
Total Parcel : 34.66 Acres
Proposed Solar Area: ~7.16 Acres (20% of parcel
boundary)
Interconnection Utility: ComEd
Project Size : 5MW
Power Output : ~8 million kWh/year, enough to
provide electricity to 1,100 homes
Lanceleaf Solar Project, LLC
Blue: parcel boundaries
Green: project boundary
Project Overview
site plan page
(skip?)
Updated Site Plan
as of September 22, 2023
Updated the Site Plan to reflect the ff.changes:
1.Indicated accurate location of the site’s
access point:>750 ft.from nearest
intersection
2.Estimated total number of solar panels
proposed for site:7 ,266 modules (est)
3.Proposed chain-link fencing will be vinyl
coated and fencing facing roadways (IL 47
and Baseline Road)will have slates.à See
Note #20
Solar Farms – Agricultural Preservation
Agricultural Impact Mitigation
Agreement •Maintains permeable nature of the land
due to limited concrete
•Field tiles located prior to construction,
designed around, and repaired/replaced
when needed
•Land is seeded with native Illinois grasses,
vegetation maintained during project
lifetime, and re-seeded post-
deconstruction
•Agricultural land lies fallow allowing
natural biological process to rejuvenate
the soil
Sets standards for construction and deconstruction including:
•Support Structures
•Cabling depth
•Drain Tiles
•Topsoil
•Construction timing
•Decommissioning
Solar Overview
Solar Farms – Property Tax Benefits
Solar farms are taxed according to their MW size, per Public Act 100-0781.
34.66 ac Ag
Land ‘22 Solar Farms Y1
Assessed Value Y1 $23,180 $418,560
%9.49%9.49%
Taxes $2,372.60 $39,712
Tax Year Solar Assessed Value Taxes at 9.49%
1 $418,560 $39,712.68
2 $401,818 $38,124.17
3 $385,745 $36,599.21
4 $370,315 $35,135.24
5 $355,502 $33,729.83
6 $341,282 $32,380.63
7 $327,631 $31,085.41
8 $314,526 $29,841.99
9 $301,945 $28,648.31
10 $289,867 $27,502.38
11 $278,272 $26,402.29
12 $267,141 $25,346.19
13 $256,456 $24,332.35
14 $246,198 $23,359.05
15 $236,350 $22,424.69
16 $226,896 $21,527.70
17 $217,820 $20,666.59
18 $209,107 $19,839.93
19 $200,743 $19,046.33
20- 40 Avg. $153,912 Avg. $14,603.05
Total $8,878,323 $842,369.08
District Tax Rate Taxes
School District CU-
115 6.65%$27,844.29
Bristol -Kendall FPD 0.70%$2,924.73
County 0.59%$2,472.64
City of Yorkville 0.54%$2,250.64
JR College #516 0.46%$1,942.75
Yorkville Library 0.26%$1,068.67
Forest Preserve 0.15%$617.96
Bristol Township 0.08%$340.33
TOTAL 9.49%$39,712.68
Solar Farms – Local Benefits
•Locally generated energy without the cost and hassle of rooftop
•Subscriptions to electricity at or below market rates
•Quiet and low-maintenance development
•Environmentally safe and pollution-free
•Economic benefits for our landowner
•Significant property tax revenue for the community
•Cultivate Power - Company Values
•A portion of revenue goes toward work-force development programs
•Solar training for formerly impacted citizens
•Scholarships