Controversial solar farm at Belleville cemetery to bring less income than expected
Opponents of a solar farm at Mount Hope Cemetery launched a campaign last month, collecting hundreds of signatures on a petition asking officials to halt the project and preserve 25 acres of trees slated for clear-cutting.
But Belleville City Council held a special meeting Tuesday night to extend the period that the land would be leased to a solar company from 25 to 35 years. Officials also agreed to accept less in revenue.
The original lease would have required Belleville Solar LLC to pay an initial lump sum of $500,000 and annual rent payments of $69,375. An amended lease will reduce the lump sum to $250,000 and annual rent payments to $50,252 for the first 25 years and $55,311 for the last 10, according to Mayor Jenny Gain Meyer.
“The City Council made a choice to acquire the cemetery,” she said after the meeting. “Now somehow they need to make sure we can fund and support the ongoing maintenance.”
Meyer was referring to the city’s purchase of the abandoned cemetery for $1 last year and its plan to rent land for a solar farm to recoup some of the $100,000 it spends each year for mowing and trash pick-up.
Meyer noted that city officials already have signed the lease with Belleville Solar LLC. The company is owned by Shine Development Partners, a solar developer based in Texas, working with the installer StraightUp Solar.
The lease had to be amended because an Ameren Illinois “interconnection” fee for the 5-megawatt community solar farm turned out to be more than the developer had expected, Meyer said.
‘It’s beyond disappointing’
Opponents argue that such a large tract of green space and wildlife habitat in a heavily-developed urban area should be used for a community park or nature preserve and that a solar farm would destroy the sanctity and character of the historic cemetery.
Jesse Berger, 39, who lives nearby, started a petition called “Save Mount Hope” on the Change.org website in early May. It calls the cemetery “one of Belleville’s great hidden gems.”
“It’s beyond disappointing,” Berger said of the City Council vote on Tuesday. “It’s a slap in the face to the over 550 people who have signed the petition. And it continues the trend of the city making important decisions that are poorly announced.”
Opponents have accused officials of not being transparent in the Mount Hope decision-making process.
Another key vote took place at a special City Council meeting in April 2024. Cliff Cross, former director of economic development, said it was needed due to the developer missing a state deadline.
Special-meeting notices must be posted 48 hours in advance under Illinois law, but they’re not on the regular City Council schedule, and agendas are short, so few citizens attend.
The agenda for Tuesday night’s special meeting didn’t list the solar farm as a topic. It referred only to an executive-session discussion on “sale or lease of property” and a possible “amendment to lease.” One couple said they showed up coincidentally to voice their opposition.
“The lease was discussed during executive session at last week’s (regular) meeting,” Meyer said. “But we still needed additional information. You never want to vote on something until everyone has all the information they need.”
Meyer said the City Council had to vote this week because the solar developer was facing a June 27 deadline with Ameren Illinois.
City Council voted 12-1
Gene Canavan and his wife, Karen Canavan, spoke against the Mount Hope solar farm during the public-participation period of the special meeting. He implored officials to move it to a different location instead of clear-cutting 25 acres of “young, pioneer forest.”
Canavan, 74, said a solar farm would create a “choke point” in a beautiful greenway between Illinois 157 and Frank Scott Parkway that provides wildlife habitat and also enhances human quality of life.
“For the sake of its long-term health and reputation, the city should not rush to develop Belleville’s last semi-wild land, the greatest portions of which are the creeks and ravines that sculpt the bluffs on their way to the Mississippi River,” he said, reading from a letter he had sent to Meyer.
“I want, or believe it is prudent, for city leaders to plan long term and start to protect the green spaces that have real and lasting value for Belleville citizens.”
The City Council voted 12-1 to approve the amended lease for the Mount Hope solar farm. Those absent included Ward 4 Alderman Johnnie Anthony, Ward 6 Alderwoman Mary Stiehl and Ward 7 Alderman Dennis Weygandt.
Ward 1 Alderwoman Lillian Schneider was the only “no” vote. After the meeting, she said she had regretted voting “yes” last year to move the plan forward after voting against it at an earlier stage.
“It’s a cemetery,” Schneider said. “I wish there had been another option. I wish they could have found a better place for (the solar farm). It should have never been considered in the beginning.”
Meeting yet to be held
Surveying for the Mount Hope solar farm is now underway. Earlier this month, a Shine spokeswoman said she expects it to be completed next year.
Despite Tuesday’s City Council vote, Berger still plans to present officials with the “Save Mount Hope” petition later this month, along with his “case against the legality of the lease.”
As for the amendments that reduced revenue, he said, “It’s an even worse deal now than it was originally.”
It’s believed that nearly 27,000 people are buried at Mount Hope, which dates back to the late 1800s. The most recent owner abandoned it about 20 years ago while being accused of scamming people on prepaid funeral arrangements. That led to receivership and neglect.
In July 2024, the city bought 132 acres of Mount Hope land from a state receiver for $1 in a St. Clair County foreclosure auction. About 55 acres of burial grounds, off West Main Street, are backed by woods.
The “community” part of the solar farm means it would allow low- to moderate-income residents to get a 20% discount on electricity costs and other “subscribers” to get a 10% discount, officials say, although Berger maintains that such projects often fall short of expectations.
Shine, StraightUp Solar and the city hosted two community meetings on the solar farm, one in September and one in December. Officials said they were planning a third this spring, but no date has been announced.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 7:03 AM.
