Check the City record and the actual property
The City’s review page was last updated September 11, 2026. Its linked ordinance is signed and records July 20 passage and July 21 publication. Confirm current requirements and any later action with Community Development before relying on a proposal.
Include the property location or parcel reference when asking which office governs it. A West Chicago postal address alone does not establish that the land is within City limits. The City’s Community Development page links its zoning map and describes its planning role.
Ask the company to explain what it wants to develop: a separate battery facility, equipment serving an existing business or another arrangement. Ask for the actual review route for that use and site. A marketing description such as small, distributed or behind the meter is not a written City determination.
Keep that response with the proposal. If the company changes the use, equipment or boundary, ask whether the earlier response still applies. Do not use a nearby property’s answer as approval for your own.
Reference: West Chicago: battery and data-center review, last updated September 11, 2026 · West Chicago: signed Ordinance 26-O-0011, adopted July 20 and published July 21, 2026 · West Chicago: Community Development and zoning-map resources
A waiting period needs its own payment terms
The published ordinance allows conditional consideration of new proposals during the pause, without final approval until its stated conditions are met. Filing is at the applicant’s risk. Ask the company how that risk is reflected in the offer to you.
An option might reserve land before a lease begins. Request separate dates and amounts for signing, the reservation period, extensions and the start of operating rent. If a payment depends on a permit, ask what you receive before that permit exists.
For example, a company may ask to hold a corner of your property while it studies a connection and waits for City review. Decide how long you are willing to keep that area unavailable. Ask what happens if the review lasts longer than the company expects.
Keep the payment schedule separate from a projected construction calendar. A presentation showing a future opening month does not explain when an amount is owed under your agreement. Have your reviewer identify the exact event that starts each payment.
Reference: West Chicago: signed Ordinance 26-O-0011, adopted July 20 and published July 21, 2026
| Question | What to request |
|---|---|
| When does the hold start? | A defined date and initial payment |
| Can the company extend it? | Extension limits, notice and payment |
| What if rules change? | Written treatment of delay and cancellation |
| How do I get the land back? | An end date and release procedure |
Review extensions before the first hold begins
Ask whether an extension is automatic, optional for the company or subject to your agreement. Count the longest possible reservation, including every extension. An initial short term can mean much less if the same document allows a long series of renewals.
Discuss whether an unresolved City review gives the company extra time beyond those stated periods. Have your adviser explain any delay, suspension or force-majeure clause. Ask how it affects payments as well as the calendar.
Decide what uses you need to preserve while waiting. Could you renew a tenant’s lease, repair a building, sell the property or pursue another use? Identify the area and activities affected by the option instead of assuming only the future battery footprint is reserved.
If the company requests a later amendment, compare it with the original deal. What additional time or rights would it receive, and what would you receive in return? Keep a copy of the complete revised agreement rather than relying on an email that describes only the new date.
Want to ask about your land?
Send the location and what you know. You don’t need a project plan.
Tell us about your landAsk for the records behind any exception claim
The ordinance treats prior approvals and complete applications submitted before its effective date separately. It also includes defined exception and hardship provisions. Those provisions do not establish that a new offer for your property qualifies.
If a company says its project can proceed despite the pause, request the application or decision it relies on. Match the applicant, location, proposed use and dates. Ask Community Development to confirm the status rather than treating an old conversation or informal inquiry as a final approval.
Ask what later decisions remain. City review, a utility study and permission to enter your property answer different questions. A claim about one should not be used to describe all three as complete.
You do not need to file a public application just to discuss your land with Sunland. Before authorizing anyone to apply in your name, review the completed proposal and the rights your signature would grant.
Reference: West Chicago: signed Ordinance 26-O-0011, adopted July 20 and published July 21, 2026 · West Chicago: Community Development and zoning-map resources
Keep study access narrower than long-term land rights
Ask for a written work plan before a visit or investigation. Who will enter, when will they arrive and what will they do? Distinguish walking the site from drilling, excavation, equipment deliveries or tree removal.
Map the route and work area. If you have a business or tenant on the property, discuss parking, deliveries, gates and hours that must remain usable. Temporary study access should not leave you unsure whether you have also agreed to permanent roads or cable routes.
Discuss responsibility for damage, cleanup and unfinished work if the project is dropped. Ask who pays to restore a testing area and how completion is documented. A project that never reaches construction can still have disturbed ground or blocked access to address.
Request a current contact and backup before work starts. Keep dates, photos and correspondence if a problem occurs. Ask how your private notice rights work if the company changes personnel or transfers its project.
Plan for the end of an unsuccessful proposal
Have your agreement reviewer explain how the hold ends. Is there a fixed expiration, a notice requirement or another step you must take? Ask who prepares and records a release if a memorandum, easement or other document has been recorded against the land.
Discuss unpaid amounts and incomplete repairs separately from the company’s decision to stop. Ask whether the obligation to pay or restore survives cancellation. Keep the original condition record and payment history available until those matters are resolved.
If the company transfers the proposal, identify who becomes responsible for the hold, payments, study damage and any recorded rights. Ask for written confirmation rather than assuming a new project name means all earlier obligations have disappeared.
The City’s scheduled pause end does not establish a construction date, a workable connection or demand for additional private land. Request the project team’s actual connection status and commercial assumptions for your property before treating a future date as a reason to commit.
Send your location and the offer you are considering
Begin with your name, email and phone, then the property location. Illinois and DuPage County are selected here and can be corrected. Acreage and a parcel number are optional for the first conversation.
If you have an offer, tell Sunland about the proposed hold period, any requested extension and the uses you need to protect. You can ask about the property without commissioning a design or filing a permit application.
An inquiry does not reserve the land, authorize entry or grant permission to submit an application. Further review needs to establish the actual site, current rules, connection and business terms.
Questions landowners ask
Does the scheduled pause end guarantee a battery permit?
No. Check later City action and the requirements for the actual proposal. A calendar date does not establish approval.
Can I ask about my land during the pause?
Yes. You can discuss the location and an offer without granting land rights or authorizing a public application.
Should an option payment wait until City approval?
Ask the company to state what it pays during the reservation period and what depends on later events. Review those terms before deciding whether the hold works for you.
Does an older application cover a new proposal for my property?
Do not assume so. Match the applicant, location, use and dates, and request confirmation of the actual status.
Sources & further reading
Sources checked 2026-10-07. Local rules and program details can change. Check the requirements for the actual project.