Champaign Business Community Contemplates Implementing Regulations for Solar Fields

The city of Champaign is considering a proposal that would allow large solar developments to be built in industrial areas but require special approval for other zoning districts. The Champaign Plan Commission will discuss this amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance during its meeting today.

The proposed change includes a new land-use category for “power generation facilities,” which are defined as standalone facilities with the sole purpose of generating power. The city has seen an increase in requests to build large-scale solar arrays in recent months, prompting the need for this amendment.

According to Senior Planner for Advanced Planning Lacey Rains Lowe, the city has received proposals to build these facilities on the outskirts of its municipal boundary. The planning department sees these areas as potential growth areas for new development based on factors such as access to sewer, transit, and community amenities.

If approved, power generation facilities would be a permitted use in the Heavy Industrial Zoning District and allowed provisionally in the Light Industrial Zoning District. Developers looking to build large-scale solar arrays in other zoning districts would need to go through a special planning process to seek approval.

Overall, this amendment aims to ensure that power generation facilities are built in suitable locations with minimal public impact and compatibility with nearby land uses. It provides the city with a tool to manage future proposals for these types of facilities in a sustainable and efficient manner.