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Developers present Ginger Solar plan; council schedules second reading
Summary
Developers from Cultivate Power outlined a proposed 3 MW community solar project (Ginger Solar) in Macomb's extraterritorial jurisdiction, describing a revised site plan, vegetative screening, decommissioning protections and local tax benefits; the council scheduled a second reading next week.
Ben Jacoby, attorney for the project, and Tess Buchanan, lead developer from Cultivate Power, presented Ginger Solar, a proposed 3 megawatt AC ground-mounted community solar project sited north of Macomb within the city's 1.5-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction.
At the outset, Jacoby told the committee the developers received a positive recommendation from the zoning board of appeals after revisions requested by neighbors and said the revised site plan had been distributed to council members. "The project itself will generate about 12 times property taxes what the property currently generates," Jacoby said, and he estimated the project would yield about "$540,000 over the expected lifespan of 40 years," with roughly two-thirds going to the school district.
Buchanan walked the council through the updated site plan and key safety and environmental features. She said the fenced project area would be about 20.84 acres (the overall parcel just over 23 acres), with a 7-foot fence, a single gated access with a KnoxBox for emergency access, and vegetative screening around most boundaries. Buchanan described setbacks of more than 250 feet to a northwest residence and more than 500 feet to an eastern residence, noting the city ordinance requires a 50-foot setback. "We will be planting local pollinator-friendly grasses and plants," she said, and added the developers plan to seed and maintain native vegetation during the project's life and reseed the land after decommissioning.
On decommissioning and financial assurances, Jacoby said the project signed the Illinois Department of Agriculture's agricultural impact mitigation agreement, which includes nonnegotiable decommissioning provisions. He said the project will place a decommissioning bond equal to 100% of the estimated decommissioning cost and provide new estimates every five years. He also said the project will offer community solar subscriptions to nearby Ameren customers, aiming for roughly a 10% to 15% supply-side discount for subscribers.
Council members asked about similar projects and ownership. Buchanan said Cultivate Power operates projects in Illinois and that the firm sometimes transfers projects to long-term owners; she added that any subsequent owner would be bound by the special-use permit and related agreements. Jacoby asked for small wording clarifications to recommended conditions (for example, specifying the timing of a stormwater study to be due at building permit application) so requirements are clear and enforceable.
The committee did not take final action but placed the special-use permit ordinance on the agenda for second reading and final action at next week's council meeting.
Next steps: the council will consider the special-use permit at second reading next week; site-plan approvals and final engineering would proceed administratively if the permit is granted.
