BYRON - The City of Byron discussed a Pre-Annexation Agreement for a 30 acre solar farm on Wednesday night. Tom Ryan with New Leaf Energy presented the general layout for a 5 MW community solar farm that would be within 1.5 miles of the city. Located at 8250 Kishwaukee Road, it would use around 35 acres of a 126 acre field for the facility. The power generated would be fed into the Com-Ed system, but eligible for a Community Solar program. Ryan said New Leaf will be looking to present this plan to the Ogle County Zoning Board in the future for a special use permit, but wanted the city’s blessing before proceeding. The Council didn’t express interest in going forward with a Pre-Annexation Agreement that would have required New Leaf to follow Byron rules for a solar installation. Ryan wanted to make it clear the company wants to be a good neighbor, which sets them apart from others.
“I think just by having experience about things you should worry about, such as drain tile and stormwater drainage, which is a big concern,” he said. “Having all the farms around here and having it run into neighboring properties and working with neighbors and communication and working with local municipalities like we're here now. So I think that's a good thing to have instead of just rushing into a project and not doing the research and communication necessary.”
A resolution in support of the Solar Farm Development will be drafted for review and possible action at the next meeting for New Leaf to present in their application to Ogle County.
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