Decatur council approves rezoning and development agreements for community solar farm

The Decatur City Council voted unanimously to rezone two parcels northwest of Westmount Road and Northwest Lawn Avenue from R1 single-family residential to M1 light industrial and to adopt development agreements with Decatur Northwest 1, LLC and Decatur Northwest 2, LLC to permit a community solar facility.

Economic and Community Development Director Lacey Yelsey told the council the project is designed as a community solar farm that could serve roughly 1,200 residents and includes an Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement with the Department of Agriculture, a professionally prepared decommissioning plan and a decommissioning bond that the city would be named on. "They also have a decommissioning plan that will be in place," Yelsey said, and the bond will cover the full cost to restore the land if the developer fails to do so.

Developer Mara Javore said the project will produce revenue only when it is generating electricity and that monthly maintenance checks are standard; formal reports would be delivered to the city on a five-year schedule as an industry reporting standard. She said local contact information will be posted at each site entrance and that the developer commits to prevailing wage for construction. "If a project is damaged and it's not properly fixed right away, we're not generating electricity, we're not getting any revenue," Javore said, arguing the company has an operational and financial incentive to maintain the site.

Council members pressed for specifics on accountability and monitoring. Yelsey said the development agreement requires the developer to submit operations and maintenance reports every five years, maintain insurance, and to fix any damage within six months; if the developer fails to comply the city could tap the decommissioning bond to decommission the facility. Councilman McDaniel and Councilwoman Gregory questioned the five-year reporting cadence and urged shorter local reporting and responsiveness; McDaniel said he would consider proposing that reporting occur every two years.

Councillors also asked about community benefits: Javore described the project as a community solar subscription model enabled by Illinois state legislation that allows residents, small businesses and schools to subscribe and receive a discount on utility bills. Javore said the project plans to seek local subcontractors whenever feasible and that prevailing wage requirements will apply. The developer said the project will not include battery storage; Javore: "This project that we are proposing here today does not include any batteries."

After discussion, the council adopted the rezoning ordinance and passed resolutions authorizing the two development agreements by unanimous vote. The council also approved related consent items and contracts on the consent calendar earlier in the meeting.

Next steps include final execution of the development agreements and the developer beginning procurement and permitting activity; staff said they will monitor compliance with the agreements and the posted contact information for neighbors to report issues.