Urbana panel forwards renewed permit for solar farm on closed landfill

The Committee of the Whole voted to send ordinance 2025-11-031 to the full City Council, re-recording a special-use permit for a proposed TotalEnergies solar farm on the city-owned closed landfill at 1210 East University Avenue.

Planning staff said the permit before the committee is the same special-use permit that the council previously approved in January 2023 but that the approval lapsed because building permits were not pulled within 12 months. Olivia of the planning division told the committee the current application includes no changes to the site plan or lease terms and that construction should generally conform to the submitted plan and include an 80-foot buffer to the Saline Branch Drainage Ditch.

Council members asked how the new array would serve residents. Planning staff and the applicant, Scott Tess, said the proposed installation would be a market-rate community solar array rather than an income-qualified array. “This is gonna be a market rate community solar array,” the applicant said, and staff added that any Ameren territory ratepayer can subscribe while income-qualified households are eligible for slots on dedicated low-income community solar arrays.

The committee’s motion to place the ordinance on the regular agenda and forward it to council was moved by Council member Mary Alice and seconded by Charice; a voice vote was called and the chair declared the motion passed.

The permit covers the entire landfill area but staff said the developer will likely build only the array labeled Array 1 on the preliminary site plan. The administration attached the preliminary site plan to the recorded ordinance as it did in 2023. The committee did not amend the special-use permit during the discussion; the full Council will consider adoption and any final conditions at a subsequent meeting.