Batavia pursues zoning change to lure manufacturer

Batavia officials have endorsed changing the city's zoning map and updating its comprehensive plan in hopes of attracting a manufacturer of lithium-ion battery cells and packs.

The undisclosed company is seeking a shovel-ready site that could accommodate a 950,000-square-foot facility, as well as the "tremendous amount of electricity" required to produce rechargeable batteries for the transportation industry, City Administrator Laura Newman said.

A 37-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Fabyan Parkway and Kirk Road checks almost all the boxes, she said.

The city was made aware of the potential development opportunity through a recruitment initiative by Intersect Illinois, an agent of the state's Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Knowing the application process will be competitive, officials said, Batavia decided to throw its hat in the ring.

"We think we might have a pretty great match for what this company is looking for," Newman said. "There are so many things that this particular property has going for it. I really think we have a great chance at getting noticed."

Operating city-owned electric utilities makes Batavia "uniquely situated" for a project with an initial manufacturing capacity of 1 GWh/year, scalable to 10 GWh/year, she said. The site would require an electric transmission availability of 6 MW, with the capability of expanding to 30 MW.

Not only could such a need be accommodated, but the project would be a "major shot in the arm for our electric utilities," Mayor Jeff Schielke said.

The 37-acre property is the aggregate of four commercially zoned parcels owned by Joe Keim Land Corp., a "willing seller," Newman said.

Aldermen on Tuesday directed staff members to initiate a zoning amendment that would allow for an industrial use on the site. Though the process wouldn't be complete by the application's May 1 deadline, Newman said, the city would at least be able to demonstrate its backing of the potential development.

The manufacturer intends to invest about $90 million in the facility, with 480 full-time employees anticipated within three years of beginning construction in 2022, documents show.

"I'm fully in support of whatever we can do to make that happen," Fourth Ward Alderman Tony Malay said.