Sandwich officials voice concerns about proposed Pratt Road solar garden

SANDWICH – Sandwich city officials are again voicing their opposition to a solar garden being proposed on Pratt Road in Sandwich Township.

The DeKalb County Board on Wednesday is set to vote on Amp Solar Development’s proposal to put a five-megawatt solar garden on 31.2 acres of the 76.28-acre property at the northeast corner of Pratt and West Sandwich roads. The DeKalb County Board’s Planning, Zoning and Development Committee on June 28 voted 4-1 in favor of the project.

“Our Comprehensive Plan that’s almost 20 years old shows that’s a commercial corridor as well as other places in the community,” Sandwich Mayor Todd Latham said following a recent Sandwich City Council meeting. “It was done in conjunction with the county and we expect it to be honored.”

In May, City Council members voted unanimously on a resolution opposing the project. The land is zoned for agriculture and Amp Solar Development has applied for a special use permit for the solar garden.

“The city of Sandwich has found itself landlocked between two neighboring communities,” according to the resolution. “In order to grow, the community will need to expand housing, business and commercial areas beyond the current city limits. Future land use has defined certain areas for development, including the future extension of Main Street in three phases. … The city of Sandwich and the City Council respectfully request that DeKalb County reject the proposed solar field project and respect the plans that have been developed within a mile and a half radius of the city of Sandwich and described in the existing Comprehensive Plan.”

Latham has noted the city is not against all solar energy projects. Last year, the City Council gave the green light to the construction of a 708-panel solar field on the city-owned wastewater treatment facility property, located on East Church Street just south of Route 34. Electricity generated by the solar field will help to power the wastewater treatment facility, reducing the city’s ComEd bill.

And in May, City Council members unanimously approved a special use permit for Turning Point Energy to build a community solar farm on about 28 acres at 599 Sandy Bluff Road.

In the plans for the solar garden, Amp Energy officials talked about the positive aspects of the project, including that solar facilities do not emit odors into the environment and do not increase traffic on nearby roadways. They also state that a solar array is typically not taller than a single-story building and therefore don’t have much of an impact on nearby residential neighbors.

Latham has addressed his concerns to DeKalb County Board members and he urged those opposed to the project to speak at the Aug. 16 DeKalb County Road meeting. The meeting is set to start at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Legislative Center’s Gathertorium, 200 N. Main St. in Sycamore.

The Rev. David Kaul, of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Sandwich, has also voiced his opposition to the project. The church is located adjacent to the project.

Kaul told the City Council at its May 1 meeting that church officials are concerned the project will decrease the church’s property value.

“The impact also will be hitting you very hard,” Kaul said in addressing city officials. “Pratt Road, in your development program, is all for commercial, all along that road. And then behind the buildings, houses. It’s an awesome plan and it will generate tax dollars for you.”