What’s the forecast for solar farm proposals in Yorkville-area?

Even though a proposed 93-acre solar farm project in unincorporated Kendall County has faced a series of rejections so far, the developers are trying to look on the bright side of things, turning once again to Yorkville to permit construction.

While the property is outside city limits, it is located within the 1.5-mile planning jurisdiction of Yorkville. This means while the county must grant approval, Yorkville can object to the plans and offer recommendations. The site is located south of Ament Road, west of Route 47, and a little more than three-quarters of a mile from the Windett Ridge subdivision.

The developers, Ament Road Solar, LLC, filed an application with the county on behalf of the Janet Dhuse Declaration of Family Trust. After a project developer said at the Feb. 11 City Council meeting that the project has finally received the stormwater approval from the county that was holding up the go-ahead, the city council approved the project.

The approval by Yorkville means the city does not object to the developer requesting approval from the county for a special use permit and a variance to construct the solar farm.

The variance is necessary because the Yorkville City Council in August of 2024 confirmed that the city would not pursue the developer’s requested pre-annexation agreement for the proposed solar farm. The county variance would allow the development to proceed without an annexation by Yorkville or a pre-annexation agreement with the city.

“We are putting pollinators underneath the solar field, which will help with erosion and prevent stormwater runoff,” said Tom Ryan, project developer for New Leaf Energy on the Ament Road Solar farm, at the meeting. “There are some things (the county) felt would make it better, so we added to that some detention ponds on the south side of it.”

On Jan. 21, the Kendall Township Board voted to deny the solar farm proposal, citing possible stormwater issues in the area related to the development, according to city documents.

The next day, the Kendall County Regional Planning Commission voted against the proposed solar farm, with eight out of 10 members voting it down.

Now that the stormwater issues have been mitigated, the project’s fate at the county level looks a little more sunny than before.

If fully approved by the county, the commercial solar energy system would become the sixth solar farm development proposal to take strides forward in the Yorkville-area over recent months.

A seventh solar farm in the works?

Potentially further expanding the solar footprint on the fields surrounding Yorkville, a public hearing for a seventh solar farm is scheduled.

The public hearing is set for March 12 during the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting at City Hall.

Property owners Gary and Betty Bennett are requesting special use authorization and a variance approval from the city to install a 70-acre solar farm. Their property is located north of Corneils Road, 1,500 feet west of Beecher Road, and 4,000 feet east of Route 47, according to city documents.

A possible future point of contention between Beecher Road Solar, LLC, and the city is the developers are requesting a reduction from the 1,000-foot required setback to the nearest roadway network. The developers are seeking approval for only a 482-foot setback from Corneils Road.

Previous requests for roadway setback reductions have resulted in debates with various developers for solar farms, to data center buildings and commercial properties.