Sangamon County Data Center Lawsuit Awaits Judge's Ruling
A Sangamon County judge is considering a lawsuit seeking to overturn the county’s approval of CyrusOne’s proposed $500 million data center near Waverly. Residents argue the conditional-use permit was approved without complete utility documentation and without adequately addressing noise and environmental concerns.
Circuit Judge Adam Giganti has taken under advisement a lawsuit challenging Sangamon County’s approval of CyrusOne’s planned six-building data center campus on about 280 acres of farmland near Waverly. The Sangamon County Board approved the conditional-use permit in April by a 17-10 vote after initially tabling the zoning request in March.
Nearby residents, including members of the Caruthers family and kennel owner Cathy Bettis, argue that the permit petition lacked required utility letters and that the project’s potential noise and pollution impacts were not sufficiently studied. County attorney Daniel Thies said the approval was conditional and that updated documentation could be provided later, while plaintiffs’ attorney Chloe Russell argued the county ordinance required complete utility information before the board acted. The judge is expected to rule as soon as possible, but no specific timeline was provided.