Council moves forward to rezone Ashford Complex for solar field
Feb. 29—CLINTON — Clinton City Council on Tuesday moved forward with a proposed ordinance to rezone the South 14th Street property containing the Ashford Sports Complex from residential to industrial classification.
The rezoning, should the proposal continue to move forward and be implemented, would allow for a portion of the property owned by the Clinton School District to be leased to Alliant Energy and utilized as a solar energy field.
Three South 14th Street residents vocalized opposition to the rezoning and the allowance of more industrial operations in the neighborhood where Timken Drives LLC and Collis LLC already exist nearby on South 19th Street.
"Our intent is we'll still continue to use those as athletic facilities, particularly for our middle school and high school track meets as is," Clinton School District Superintendent Gary DeLacy explained, "and hopefully an area where all we're doing is mowing grass, we can actually use that as a solar field for revenue, and it's also, I'll be honest, an opportunity for us to be green and to actually enhance our science curriculum."
Ashford University's use of the property ceased when the college closed in 2016. In late 2015, the complex was purchased by Clinton Catalyst.
The Clinton School District purchased the property in 2017. It includes a field for football or soccer, a nine-lane track, event facilities, locker and medical facilities, and seating for 500-700 spectators.
While tax records indicate the property in 2017 valued at over $5 million, it was sold to the School District for $200,000 which would come from bond anticipation notes, a financing procedure that was also used to fund construction of Clinton Middle School over a period of three years.
Alliant Energy, offering to lease land on which to build solar fields in exchange for off-setting future energy costs, began considering potential sites with the School District in April 2023.
A lease agreement for the site of the Ashford Sports Complex was approved by the District in May 2023 that stipulated a 25-year lease term equal to the expected initial lifespan of the complex with three renewal options for terms of lesser duration thereafter. Annual revenue to be paid to the District for use of an elevated 4.6-acre area in the northwest corner of the 29-acre property totals approximately $60,000.
Although only a portion of the property would be allotted for generating solar energy, the span of the entire property is included in the rezoning proposal. School District attorney Jim Bruhn said the reason for this is to avoid complications regarding spot-zoning that could potentially arise from essentially creating an island of industrially-zoned property within residentially-zoned properties.
Councilmember Cody Seely stated that as the property abuts both residential and industrial zoning, the City Council's action to approve that of the complex would not constitute as spot zoning and Councilmember Bill Schemers advised that a partition process is possible that would allow for the partial rezoning of the property.
"I want to vote to move this forward," Seely said, "but I want to work on some stuff, because I definitely understand the concerns, so I need to figure out how complicated this really is to change."
The ordinance is to go through two more considerations before the Council's vote determines whether or not the property or a portion of it will be rezoned.
The next meeting of Clinton City Council is scheduled to be held within the Council Chambers at Clinton City Hall at 5 p.m. on March 12.
