What the Oswego records establish
Oswego’s adopted August 18, 2026 Ordinance 26-96 includes a battery-use table. It lists outdoor utility-scale principal batteries as special uses in the A-1 and M-1 districts. A listed route is a starting point for review; it does not approve an individual parcel.
The village also lists Elmer Solar, project 1316.26, at Plainfield and Schlapp roads. The request combines rezoning upon annexation with a special-use permit for solar and outdoor battery storage. As checked October 7, the notice schedules a Planning and Zoning Commission hearing for October 8, 2026. It is a pending request, not an approval.
Use those records to frame questions about your own land. This guide concerns the Illinois village, which extends into Kendall and Will counties. It does not apply the rules of Oswego in New York or establish that land near the named proposal is needed.
Reference: Oswego: adopted Ordinance 26-96, August 18, 2026 · Oswego: current hearings and Elmer Solar project 1316.26
Put three boundaries on one drawing
Ask for a drawing showing the proposed municipal boundary, the land the company wants to reserve and the equipment area. Those outlines may differ. Add any land you would retain, your home, farm buildings, entrances and existing utilities.
If the company asks to include land outside the battery area in an annexation request, ask why. Would that land be needed for access, drainage, a connection route or another purpose? Ask whether a smaller boundary would work and who would resolve that with the reviewing offices.
Identify who owns each affected parcel and who must consent. If the proposal depends on a neighboring owner, ask what happens to your agreement if that person declines. Do not let a drawing suggest that rights across another property have already been secured.
Compare the drawing with the land description attached to the agreement you are asked to sign. Your adviser should be able to distinguish the area reserved for studies from any area subject to permanent rights or a proposed boundary change.
| Area on the drawing | Question for the owner |
|---|---|
| Annexation area | Which land could enter the village, and when? |
| Reserved land | What can I still use during the option? |
| Equipment and roads | What would actually be built or occupied? |
| Retained acreage | How would access, services and future use be affected? |
Ask what could remain if the project stops
Before consenting to an annexation or rezoning filing, ask what would happen if the company later withdraws the battery proposal. Would the boundary or zoning change remain? Who would seek any further change, what process would apply and who would pay?
Get separate answers for a withdrawn application, a denied permit and a project that receives permission but is never built. Ask your adviser which obligations would end in each case and which might continue. Do not assume ending an option automatically reverses a public action.
If you plan to keep farming, lease a building or sell part of the property, discuss that intended use at the outset. Ask the village how the proposed zoning and any recorded commitments would affect it. A district name alone does not establish every use you could make of retained land.
Ask the developer to identify any commitment it wants you to make beyond consenting to a project application. Review obligations concerning roads, utilities, drainage, improvements and future transfers before authorizing anyone to make representations for you.
Want to ask about your land?
Send the location and what you know. You don’t need a project plan.
Tell us about your landSeparate application costs from continuing property costs
Request a written list of the studies, applications, drawings, legal work and public improvements the company expects. For each item, identify the payer and whether the cost could become your responsibility if the proposal changes or ends.
Ask your advisers and the relevant offices how the proposed changes could affect property taxes, assessments, service charges or other continuing costs. Get an explanation for the specific land and proposed arrangement. This guide does not calculate those costs or promise that annexation increases or lowers them.
If the company agrees to cover a cost, ask how that commitment would work. Would it pay the bill directly, reimburse you after payment or fund an agreed amount in advance? Establish what records and notices are needed, and how a disputed bill would be handled.
Compare continuing costs with the start of land payments. If a public change could take effect before construction or operating rent begins, ask what payment covers that interval. Identify the last date the company can hold the land without making its next decision.
Keep the battery decision separate from the solar decision
The Elmer notice requests a combined development. If a company offers you a similar arrangement, ask for a clear description of each component. How much land would be needed for the batteries, solar equipment, roads, screening and electrical route?
Ask which applications and decisions cover each component. Would the company proceed with solar if battery permission is denied, or with batteries if the solar portion changes? Identify how either outcome affects land payments and the acreage reserved.
Oswego’s amendment distinguishes private accessory batteries from utility-scale uses and separates indoor and outdoor categories. Ask the village to confirm the classification of the proposed operation. Do not substitute a household or business-serving battery category for a project intended primarily for the grid.
If the company removes a component from the proposal, require a revised drawing and explanation of the rights still needed. Ask when unused land would be released. Shared roads or electrical equipment should be identified even when the battery area becomes smaller.
Reference: Oswego: current hearings and Elmer Solar project 1316.26 · Oswego: adopted Ordinance 26-96, August 18, 2026
Check access to the land you keep
Walk through a normal day on the property using the proposed drawing. Can farm equipment reach each field? Can tenants, delivery vehicles and emergency responders reach the buildings? Would a locked project gate sit across an existing entrance?
Discuss construction as well as long-term operation. Ask about temporary staging areas, blocked entrances, changes to field drainage and repairs after heavy vehicles leave. Identify when each temporary area would be returned to use.
If an access road or drainage improvement serves both the project and retained land, settle who maintains it and how costs would be allocated. Ask what happens when equipment is removed or the property is divided later.
Keep a copy of the final land drawing with the agreement and relevant public decisions. When the design changes, compare the new layout with your access and retained-use arrangements before granting additional rights.
Ask about your Oswego-area property
Start with your name, email and phone in the form, then the property location. Illinois and Kendall County are starting selections you can correct, including for property in Will County. Acreage and a parcel number are optional.
Mention whether a company has proposed annexation, rezoning or a combined solar-and-battery project. Include any land you intend to keep using and any entrance that must remain available. You do not need a completed application to inquire.
Sunland can review what you send and may follow up. An inquiry does not authorize a filing, reserve the property or commit you to a lease or sale. The actual proposal needs its own land, connection, permitting and commercial review.
Questions landowners ask
Has the Elmer solar-and-battery proposal been approved?
The record checked October 7, 2026 lists an October 8 hearing on a pending request. It does not establish approval, final conditions or construction.
Does ending a battery option undo annexation or rezoning?
Do not assume it does. Ask your adviser and the reviewing offices which public changes and private obligations could remain if the project ends.
Is an agricultural district enough to qualify my land?
No. Establish the actual jurisdiction, zoning, battery-use classification, site conditions, approvals and connection for the specific proposal.
What should I ask if I am keeping part of the farm?
Show the retained acreage, entrances, drainage and existing uses on the drawing. Ask how the proposed boundary changes and project rights would affect them during studies, construction and operation.
Sources & further reading
Sources checked 2026-10-07. Local rules and program details can change. Check the requirements for the actual project.