Urbana council to meet in special session March 31

Urbana City Council has scheduled a special meeting for March 31 at the Champaign County Community Center Auditorium to form a review committee for a recently enacted data center moratorium. The 12-month temporary moratorium, approved by a 6-1 council vote during a regular meeting on March 3, aims to allow city administration and council to investigate the potential impacts of data centers on local communities, including water, electricity, the environment, critical infrastructure, and property values. Developers Thor Equities and CyrusOne had addressed the city council on March 3 prior to the moratorium's approval, following disclosures of land purchases and sale options for a potential data center project. Since plans for this data center were revealed in January, a vocal group of opponents, including representatives from Cedar Bog, has actively organized and spoken at council meetings, expressing concerns over noise, pollution, safety, power grid strain, and water usage.