Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Data centers are not the only controversial projects in county governments around here. The Sangamon County Board has turned down a proposed solar farm.

Michelle Ownbey, executive editor of the Springfield Business Journal, told the WTAX Morning Newswatch. “This is going to be very interesting from a legal standpoint. The Sangamon County Board’s own attorney told them that, were they to reject this solar project, the developer would have a very strong case in court, but the board basically said, watch this, and did it anyway.”

As for data centers, Ownbey said, “Logan County just enacted a twelve-month moratorium, kicking the can down the road, but the developer for a proposed project there has not said whether they plan to stick around or file legal challenges.”

A data center is planned about two miles west of Taylorville. Ownbey said, “It is anticipated to be ten times more expensive to build than the Cyrus One project here in Sangamon County. Critics are already alleging that the board and the developer have not been forthcoming about private discussions and the potential impact of the project. And the developer is claiming it will create 500 jobs paying six figures a year. I don’t know, that sounds like it might be in the ‘too good to be true’ category.”

A representative of that Christian County development emailed Capitol City Now to take issue with Ownbey’s remarks. Said Jennifer Handshaw of iMiller Public Relations:

  • The Christian County project is still in a very early, exploratory, and regulatory phase. It is not comparable to the stage of development previously seen in Sangamon County.
  • There is no construction timeline beginning this summer. At the absolute earliest, construction would not begin until late 2028.
  • In terms of approvals, Eagle Rock is committed to an open and transparent process with community meetings and meetings with the public in the early stages. Eagle Rock will work with the county and its residents to address potential concerns as it seeks to bring unprecedented investment and opportunity to Christian County.

 

There is also news about the Conn Hospitality Group‘s unwinding of some of its properties. It had placed Vinegar Hill Mall and the adjacent DeWitt-Wickliffe-Smith mansion up for auction. Neither sold. Since then, the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation has purchased the mansion, which the Conns had been using as a headquarters.