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QUINCY — It is not a done deal yet, but the offer is on the table.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Quincy Plan Commission ultimately sided with staff’s recommendation of two special permits for planned development to allow for the construction and operation by Arena Cavern Solar, LLC of solar energy facilities on four different sites near 12th Street and Nieders Lane.
The Quincy City Council will have the final say on these permits at its Aug. 3 meeting.
The first special permit for planned development was for a 3.0 MWac commercial solar energy facility at a property immediately north of 928 Nieders Lane. The second special permit for planned development was for a 5.0 MWac commercial solar energy facility on that same property as well as properties immediately north of 2734 South 12th Street, 2640 South 12th Street and immediately west of 2640 South 12th Street. The two special permits were considered together.
Commissioner Dan Brink made the motion to go with staff’s recommendation, citing these facilities as adequate uses of the proposed locations above the JM Huber mining caves.
“We have rules and procedures that we need to follow, but each individual case needs to be judged on its own merit,” Brink said. “In this case, with the underground cave and mining operation, there aren’t very many uses for this property. Solar was a more appropriate use for this property than others we’ve seen.”
If approved, the facilities would cover about 13 and 20 acres, respectively, of fenced area with trees along the border of the parcels to screen the view of the panels and pollinator friendly vegetation throughout the projects’ area to help improve soil quality, water management and on-site biodiversity. These projects would be located on properties just outside the city limits near Ward 6 zoned RU1 and will produce enough power for about 1,600 homes.
Quincy director of planning and development Jason Parrott said the leadership with Arena listened to concerns that nearby residents expressed during an open house in Winter 2026.
“They were able to get a sense of what people thought about this project,” Parrott said. “One of the changes they made when they initially had the project was that the solar panels were going to be about 150 feet away from some of these homes. Now, they’re going to be about 350 feet away, so they have adapted some of their opportunities to provide a better product. The city council could also add conditions to the special permit. They could require more landscaping. They could require a larger setback. With a special permit for planned development, there’s a lot more opportunity to add restrictions and requirements for this project. The city council will have that right to do that if they so choose.”
Still, those neighbors have concerns.
“Anybody voting on this, I hope you consider that if this was adjacent to your property, how you would feel about it,” said John Aschemann, who lives at 2734 South 12th Street, in his closing statement at Tuesday’s meeting.
In her chance to ask questions of project developer Sam Walch and civil engineer Sean Hickey, Nicole Aschemann, John’s wife, asked about noise levels, which Hickey said were comparable to the humming of an old refrigerator and come from the inverter that changes direct current from the solar panels into electricity for homes. Nicole Aschemann also inquired about the tax credits associated with the project. Walch said the investment tax credit will grant about 30 to 40 percent of the project cost.
On Tuesday morning, Muddy River News received an email from Amanda Algren, whose parents live near the proposed solar facilities.
“For many people, this may seem like just another development proposal,” the email reads in part. “For my family and many of our neighbors, it is much more personal. The farmland behind my parents’ home has been part of our lives for decades. It’s where I grew up playing on a tire swing hanging from our old oak tree, jumping on a trampoline with neighborhood friends, and catching lightning bugs on warm summer nights. Today, I bring my own children there so they can make those same memories with their grandparents.
“When my mom received the notice about the proposed project, she was in tears. She isn’t opposed to renewable energy. She is grieving the possibility of losing the peaceful landscape and rural character that have been part of our family’s home for so many years.”
During his presentation, Walch outlined some of the local benefits in terms of taxes, energy savings and clean energy. Property taxes are estimated to provide 1.3x the property’s current tax liability, totaling $1.1 million over 40 years. Sales tax will total approximately $580,000 for these projects over that same span.
As far as energy savings go, local utility customers and businesses can take advantage of discounted electricity by subscribing to these projects. These subscribers will save approximately $5.4 million in energy costs over 25 years and will receive approximately a 10 percent discount to the bill credits they receive for up to 25 years with no signup or termination fee.
In terms of environmental impact, 18.9 million kilowatt hours would be produced in year one, and over 689 million kilowatt hours would be produced over 40 years. This is equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from 18.2 million pounds of coal burned, 1.8 million gallons of gasoline consumed and 41.7 million miles driven by car.
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