Developer pitches 2.85 MW solar array in Middleport Township; board and public raise drainage and access concerns

Developer representatives for RDC IL North LLC presented a conditional-use application for a commercial solar facility on roughly 20.7 acres in Middleport Township with an approximate nameplate capacity of 2.85 megawatt AC. Gabriel Arraiza, identified himself as senior development manager for Reactivate, said the company conducts community outreach and described anticipated local benefits including temporary construction employment and property tax revenue.

Arraiza said the site can realistically connect to the grid and that Reactivate has performed a drain-tile study with Pinyon Global and on-site exploratory trenches. He told the board the company plans mitigation where tile was identified and will coordinate with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and local drainage stakeholders. On environmental and operational questions, Arraiza said panels require little concrete (piles use none; only transformer pads may have slab concrete), the standard expected panel life is about 30 years, and the developer would be responsible for decommissioning and remediation.

Public participants and township supervisors focused on the proposed entrance location adjacent to a cemetery and on tax and community benefit details. Supervisor Kevin Bowman asked why the access point is next to the cemetery; Arraiza said the point of interconnection and utility alignment drive the entrance location and moving it could be prohibitively expensive or shrink the project footprint. On taxes and revenues, the developer discussed a model but could not confirm exact annual numbers on the record and agreed to follow up with a detailed breakdown.