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Planning commission approves Mastercard‑linked solar farm with HOA meeting condition
Summary
The commission approved a site plan for a Biostar/Mastercard ground‑mounted solar project on Hammock Road but added a condition barring construction until the developer meets with the nearby Kingsgate HOA to address resident concerns about tree removal, sightlines and buffering.
The O'Fallon Planning and Zoning Commission voted Jan. 2 to approve a ground‑mounted solar site plan for property on Hammock Road that will supply power behind the meter to the adjacent Mastercard facility, subject to staff conditions and a new requirement that the developer meet with the Kingsgate homeowners association before starting construction.
Andy Sankati of Biostar Renewables, the project's developer, told the commission the project is intended to help Mastercard reach greenhouse‑gas‑reduction targets and that the arrays and batteries will be sited to preserve as much existing vegetation as possible. "This project is obviously a huge benefit to Mastercard for their greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals," Sankati said.
Neighbors pushed back. Matt Borgmeyer, a Kingsgate HOA board member, said residents first learned of the project 12 days before the meeting and asked the commission to delay the site‑plan vote to allow more community engagement. "We are asking for a delay in this site plan approval," Borgmeyer said, adding concerns about visual impacts and disputed tree‑retention percentages cited in the packet.
Commissioners probed technical issues: whether the arrays would feed the site behind Mastercard's meter (Sankati said yes), the potential for glare and mitigation (panels fixed facing south with anti‑reflective coatings and the team offered to run a glare analysis), battery siting, and exactly how responsibilities for recommended roadway improvements would be allocated among developer, city and grant programs. The project's staff conditions include equipment cut sheets, screening and a variance workflow for a chain‑link fence that is not permitted in the High‑Tech zoning district.
The commission's approval included the mayor's suggested condition that construction not begin until the developer meets with Kingsgate HOA and addresses reasonable neighborhood concerns; the motion then carried. The transcript records a roll‑call closure of voting and "Motion carries." The developer said they are willing to meet with the HOA and that they will incorporate HOA feedback where feasible.
Next steps: the developer must submit construction and grading permits and other detailed plans; the start of construction will be contingent on meeting the HOA‑engagement condition and any remaining construction‑plan approvals.
