Sterling’s planning commission advises City Council to reject new solar farm development

STERLING – Sterling’s planning commission is recommending that the City Council reject the proposal for a new solar farm on a 45-acre site at the corner of West Le Fevre Road and McCue Road.

The planning commission based its July 18 rejection of the proposal on the fact that the city has made plans for the property to be used for future industrial and manufacturing development. City officials said the site is ideal for industrial use because it is located near existing industrial land and West Lincoln Highway, which connects to Interstate 88, and is within the Whiteside Carroll Enterprise Zone, which is designed to stimulate business growth and job creation in economically distressed areas.

Nexamp, a solar company based in Chicago, is seeking to develop the site from existing farmland into a 29-acre commercial solar energy facility. The proposal is for a 35- to 40-year lease of the property from TN Hermis LLC, which has owned the farmland since 1983.

The property is located just outside Sterling’s city limits. In line with Whiteside County’s building and zoning regulations, the proposed property lies within 1.5 miles of one of the county municipalities’ city limits, so the developer must obtain permission from that city before the county can approve it.

Jack Curry, business development manager at Nexamp, gave an overview of the project to the commission.

The project, if approved, would mount the solar panels on racks that rotate to track the sun. At full tilt, the solar panels would reach up to 20 feet high. Perimeter security fencing also would be installed along the west side of the property and reach up to 8 feet high, according to the project narrative from Nexamp.

A gravel driveway would be constructed for easy access to the site, and areas of the site that were disturbed during construction would be revegetated with a pollinator seed mix. The use of gravel and the seed mix are intended to decrease potential runoff from the project, according to the narrative.

Solar farm runoff is rain or snowmelt that flows off solar panels and access roads. Some of the water will soak into the ground, but some will run downhill off the site. This can cause runoff and soil erosion.

The inverter and transformer, which is how solar farms create energy that is used by homes and businesses, would be located on a concrete equipment pad, according to the narrative.

Curry said the equipment pad sounds like “the low humming noise of an air conditioner” throughout the day, and it would be placed as far away from nearby residents as possible.

When asked about how the project would benefit the city, Curry pointed out that the system will be remotely monitored so the project will generate little traffic. Construction would begin in fall 2025 and create 20 to 30 local jobs, and the location of all the proposed structures are compliant with Whiteside County’s setback requirements. The project also gives power to residents and lowers their energy bills, while and Sterling Public Schools would receive tax benefits.

At the meeting, Curry provided members of the commission with a letter from the landowner who said the solar farm was a way to “give the land a break,” according to the letter.

According to the letter, the landowner wants to lease the property and return it to farmland afterward.

In response, Dustin Wolff, Sterling city planner from Mead & Hunt, gave the commission a comprehensive review of the proposed project and its potential effecs on the city of Sterling.

Wolff referenced the Sterling 2040 Comprehensive Plan, which is a detailed plan for economic growth that was adopted by the City Council in 2021. It outlines how the city is going to provide new housing and increased job opportunities.

Wolff pointed out that the project is in direct contradiction to those plans.

The site that Nexamp wants to develop sits within a combined 210 acres of land that is owned by three property owners.

“That’s a huge piece of land with a low amount of property owners, which would be very appealing to developers,” Wolff said. “We want to preserve that.”

That land also is within the Whiteside Carroll Enterprise Zone, which would be appealing to developers because it provides various tax benefits that save the developers money, he said.

The solar farm only would provide jobs during the construction period, which is a one-time thing for about six months, Wolff said.

“If you look at a map of Sterling, these solar sites are starting to envelope the city,” commission member Allen Przysucha said. “You’re putting Sterling in a chokehold [for economic growth].”

Before reaching the planning commission, representatives for Nexamp met with Mayor Diana Merdian and City Manager Scott Shumard, who asked the company to look at alternative sites for the project, Wolff said.

Merdian was “disappointed” that Nexamp didn’t address the alternative sites that the city offered, which included “the roofs on the riverfront” and the former Lawrence Brothers Hardware site on First Avenue.

Curry told the commission that Nexamp is “actively looking for compatible utility structure.”

When installing a solar farm, electrical cables are needed to convert the energy into usable power. Finding a site that already has these structures in place keeps the cost down for developers.

Nexamp submitted a pre-application to ComEd to test the existing power lines in order to determine whether they would be compatible for solar energy. Based on those tests, the other sites weren’t compatible, Curry said.

“We don’t want to come across as anti-solar,” Wolff said. “The city will provide sites that comply with the long-range plans for the city.”

The recommendation against the proposal now will go to the City Council, which will vote on another recommendation either for or against the project. That recommendation then will go before the Whiteside County Board for final approval.