Yorkville farm, residents sue to stop second massive data center project
Residents and a family farm in Yorkville, Illinois, have filed a second lawsuit against the City of Yorkville to halt a large-scale data center project, Project Steel. This legal action follows an earlier lawsuit against another data center, Project Cardinal, with residents citing environmental concerns, lack of public notice, and inappropriate zoning changes. The plaintiffs aim to stop the construction of both data centers.
Lisa Poss, whose family farm is slated to be surrounded by a data center if built, expressed deep concerns about environmental impacts like noise and air pollution affecting her grandchildren. The area around her farm in Yorkville, Illinois, was recently annexed and rezoned from residential to manufacturing, which Poss argues will transform her land into a "concrete jungle." She has been vocal at Yorkville City Council meetings, opposing data centers directly on top of homes.
Poss is among the plaintiffs in a second lawsuit filed in Kendall County Circuit Court, challenging the City of Yorkville's approval of "Project Steel," another large-scale data center. This legal action follows a previous lawsuit concerning "Project Cardinal," a 1,037-acre data center campus approved earlier this year near Chuck Casper's home. Casper, a member of "Preserve Our Yorkville and Community LLC," is also involved in both lawsuits, arguing that the city approved these projects without sufficient public input.
The most recent lawsuit alleges that the city failed to provide proper public notice for a hearing on Project Steel, ignored state notice requirements, and approved projects that conflict with its own planning documents. Plaintiffs claim eight city officials made decisions affecting residents' lives without living by them. The overarching goal of both lawsuits is to prevent the construction of these data centers, though attempts to reach the companies behind the projects have been unsuccessful. The Yorkville City government has also been contacted for comment.