⚡ 1480 RENAISSANCE DR

BESS Site Diligence Analysis Report

Prepared for: Sunland America Corp. Development Committee
Prepared by: Senior BESS Site Evaluation Analyst
Date: October 26, 2023
Site: 1480 RENAISSANCE DR, Park Ridge, Cook County, IL (APN: 09221100050000)
Project Target: ≤5MW Distribution-Scale BESS

1. Site Access & Topography

Road Access: The site has excellent access via Renaissance Drive, a publicly maintained road within a commercial office park. Based on aerial imagery, the road network is paved, well-maintained, and appears designed to accommodate commercial traffic, including delivery trucks. This is highly favorable for construction logistics.

Topography & Terrain: The subject parcel is part of a larger developed office complex and appears to be predominantly a paved surface parking lot. The topography in Park Ridge and the greater Chicago area is exceptionally flat. This is a significant advantage, as it will minimize the need for civil work, grading, and site preparation, directly reducing construction costs and timelines.

Heavy Equipment Feasibility: Access for heavy equipment, including flatbed trucks for battery containers, a large crane for setting the main power transformer (MPT), and concrete trucks, is considered excellent. The existing paved surface can likely serve as a preliminary staging area, though geotechnical analysis will be required to confirm soil compaction and load-bearing capacity for equipment pads.

Easement Concerns: As part of an existing commercial development, the parcel is almost certainly encumbered by multiple easements. These likely include ingress/egress for other tenants, cross-parking agreements, and utility easements for existing services (power, water, sewer, telecom). A full ALTA survey and title report are required to identify the exact location and nature of these easements, which could constrain the final BESS layout. The developable area may be smaller than the parcel acreage suggests.

2. Environmental Constraints

FEMA Flood Zone: Requires Verification. The FEMA flood zone designation is currently unknown. This is a critical data gap. If the site is located within a Special Flood Hazard Area (e.g., Zone A or AE), development costs will increase significantly due to requirements for elevating all equipment above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). A designation within a floodway would likely render the site undevelopable and be a fatal flaw.

Wetlands: Requires Verification. The presence of jurisdictional wetlands is unknown. While the risk is presumed low on the existing paved portions of the site, any adjacent undeveloped or landscaped areas could contain wetlands. A desktop screening using the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) is an immediate next step, to be followed by a formal wetland delineation if any potential features are identified. State and federal wetland setback requirements would need to be observed.

Critical Habitat / Endangered Species: The data indicates no critical habitat or protected areas on or near the site. This is a significant de-risking factor, reducing the likelihood of lengthy and complex consultations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Brownfield/Superfund Status: There is one Superfund site within a two-mile radius, but not on the subject parcel, posing a low risk to the project. Crit