Aqua Illinois Water Company’s plans for a solar farm near its water treatment plant in Danville will not be moving forward. Danville Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr., says that after further review of a city council vote on the matter Tuesday night, it has been determined the request for a special use permit did not receive sufficient votes to pass.
The Mayor says he consulted further with the City’s Corporation Counsel and legal department of the Illinois Municipal League before reaching the decision.
There were not enough ‘yes’ votes among council members Tuesday night to approve the Special Use Permit, but there were also insufficient votes to reject it. At least, that is what was originally thought. But after getting further legal advice Wednesday the Mayor announced the vote had failed.
Aqua Illinois had wanted to place the solar farm near its West Fairchild Street treatment plant. Aqua Area Manager Bob Ervin had said the energy generated by the panels would save the company an estimated $100-thousand dollars a year. But some neighbors complained that the solar arrangement would devalue their property.
Aqua had been approved for state tax credits for the project, but was going to be required to make a payment of $370-thousand dollars by Friday in order to get the credits. The company had said at Tuesday night’s city council meeting that it was willing to shift the project a little so it would not be so close to the homes. Aqua had also planned to plant some trees and install special fencing to help shield the project from the view of the homeowners. The company also planned to install fixed base solar panels instead of its original plans to have ones that would follow the sun.
Now, however, Mayor Williams says the project will not be moving forward.
[The photo is of Aqua Area Manager Bob Ervin speaking about the project at a recent Danville Area Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The Commission had recommended the city council approve the Special Use Permit.]
