Sound limits placed on CyrusOne data center in Yorkville, residents still worried about construction noise

The city of Yorkville recently adopted new noise pollution standards and other amendments for the 228-acre CyrusOne data center project, which is currently under construction. City Administrator Bart Olson stated that these standards require developers to predict noise output, install monitoring devices, and face penalties for exceeding limits. However, residents, including Lees Poss, expressed skepticism, questioning the effectiveness of the rules in safeguarding against lengthy construction periods and the cumulative noise impact from multiple simultaneous data center projects.

The City Council approved amendments to the project's plans, which include new water regulations, a $15 million upfront payment from CyrusOne, and re-phasing the construction of warehouses. CyrusOne representatives highlighted their significant investment in Yorkville and their commitment to sound modeling accuracy, citing retrofitting efforts at their Aurora data centers. The company claims that the Yorkville project will be significantly below noise thresholds for the nearest residences.

Construction began earlier this spring, with the electrical substation largely developed and transformers expected later this fall. The 800,000-square-foot substation will power the campus with 480 megawatts from ComEd. The project, estimated to take 10-20 years for its eight warehouses, has also seen changes to shift buildings further north on the site, increasing separation from residences to comply with new setback rules adopted after the initial project approval.