Yorkville City Council OKs 18.5 acre solar farm east of Beecher Road in split vote

YORKVILLE – On a divided vote, the Yorkville City Council approved plans for an 18.5-acre solar farm on the far northwest side of the community.

The vote was four in favor, three opposed and one alderman voting “present,” at the April 11 council meeting

City Attorney Kathleen Field Orr advised that a vote of present goes with the majority, meaning the measure was effectively approved on a 5-3 tally.

The vote of present came from Alderman Rusty Corneils, who only minutes before had taken the oath of office representing Ward 4.

Corneils, who unofficial vote totals show was elected to the council in the April 4 consolidated election, was appointed by Mayor John Purcell to fill out the remaining days left on the unexpired term of Jason Peterson, who resigned from the council after being elected to the Kendall County Board last November.

Those voting in favor of the plan included Ward 1 aldermen Daniel Transier and Ken Koch, Ward 2 Alderman Joe Plocher and Ward 3 Alderman Matt Marek.

Those voting no included Ward 2 Alderman Craig Soling, Ward 3 Alderman Chris Funkhouser and Ward 4 Alderman Seaver Tarulis.

The council’s action annexes 48 acres of agricultural land into the city. The property is located along both sides of the BNSF Railroad, on the east side of Beecher Road.

New Leaf Energy will use 18.5 acres on the north side of the rail line for a 5-megawatt, freestanding facility and its array of 9,700 solar panels, producing enough electricity to power 850 homes.

When land is annexed into the city it is automatically given a single-family home zoning classification, so the ordinance approved by the council further restores the agricultural designation and provides a special use permit to New Leaf Energy to operate the solar farm.

New Leaf Energy, headquartered in Massachusetts, is leasing the land from the Robert M. & Ildefonsa Loftus Living Trust.

Community Development Director Kristi Barksdale-Noble said the agricultural zoning classification permits the continued farm use on the remainder of the annexed land, which is used for row crops.

The New Leaf Energy project will include the solar panel arrays and supporting equipment, including two electrical transformers and two pieces of equipment called inverters.

The solar panels produce direct current electricity and the inverter converts the power to the alternating current that is used in homes and businesses, accessed from a wall socket. New Leaf Energy will sell the power to ComEd, with the electricity going onto the grid.

The company is entering into a 20-year lease with the property owner to operate the solar farm. The lease has an option to extend the term for up to four additional successive periods of five years each.

The developer is not seeking any tax breaks or other financial incentives, City Administrator Bart Olson said.

During a council discussion prior to the vote, Funkhouser asked why New Leaf Energy is to pay only 40% of the cost for the rehabilitation of Beecher Road, when the usual split for such a project is 50-50 between a developer and the city.

Olson said the arrangement had been negotiated with the solar farm company and that New Leaf Energy’s share will amount to about $400,000.