Lucida reports active commercial interest in Lee County; data centers, food manufacturing and SAF projects highlighted

LEE COUNTY — Tom Demmer of Lucida delivered a quarterly economic development update to the Lee County Board, describing active inquiries across logistics, food manufacturing, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), green hydrogen and data-center sectors.

Demmer told the board that global trade uncertainty has paused some logistics projects but that several food-manufacturing prospects are active, with site visits in Rochelle and Dixon. He said one large food project and two midsize projects are under discussion. Demmer also said Lucida has had interest from chemical producers, sustainable aviation fuel and green hydrogen companies; he said proximity to a local ethanol plant that emits carbon dioxide is attractive to SAF manufacturers that can use CO2 as a feedstock.

Demmer highlighted data-center interest across the county and praised the board's referral of a technology overlay district to the Planning Commission as a proactive measure to clarify permitting and standards for large sites. He said Lee County now has three sites that the state program considered "vetted sites," including the dual-rail mega-site south of Rochelle, the Lee County Business Park (about 220 acres) and a roughly 220-acre parcel south of Bloody Gulch Road; he said only 35 sites in Illinois have the vetted designation.

He said Lucida is preparing a joint application for a rural and tribal planning grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support freight-flow engineering and road/rail reconfiguration around the village of Stuart, and described ongoing outreach to housing developers about affordable and senior housing in Dixon.

Why it matters: County leaders said being able to point to vetted sites and to a defined process for technology and industrial uses makes Lee County more competitive for large projects that require rail access, power and large parcels. The combination of an emitter (ethanol plant) and rail access may make the county attractive for SAF and other heavy manufacturing.

What was said: "It's a very interesting time, globally," Demmer said as he described the market. He noted Lucida has more than a dozen active projects in the county and that several are moving down the development "funnel" toward site visits and final decisions.

Next steps: Lucida will continue negotiations with prospective employers, pursue the DOT grant, and participate in outreach such as Union Pacific short-line events to market county sites to heavy industrial users.

Ending: Board members thanked Demmer for the update and asked about workforce and housing alignment to support future projects; Demmer said affordable housing remains a community need for new employers.