‘Nobody wants to live in data center row’ - Residents speak out after Yorkville approves 540-acre data center

The Yorkville City Council on March 24 approved the annexation, rezoning, and Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the 540-acre Project Steel data center, which will include 16 two-story warehouses. This decision followed hours of testimony from Yorkville residents urging the council to enact a moratorium on data center approvals due to concerns over environmental impact, quality of life, and the rapid pace of development. Residents like April Clary expressed frustration, stating that their concerns about potential cumulative sound, light, and environmental pollution were not being adequately addressed, and that the city had not yet received results from a cumulative sound pollution study. The approval of Project Steel mirrored a similar March 11 approval for the 1,034-acre Project Cardinal data center, both of which faced strong community opposition but were supported by union tradesmen. City Administrator Bart Olson highlighted benefits, including a $40 million upfront payment from developer Prologis, L.P., with $30 million earmarked for Yorkville School District 115. Olson also addressed environmental concerns, noting that Project Steel will be an air-cooled system using a relatively low amount of water (25,000-42,400 gallons per day) and that a 100-foot landscaped buffer with an 8-foot berm will shield residents from the industrial warehouses and four electrical substations. The city is also requiring continuous noise monitoring. Despite these assurances, residents like Neil Clary voiced fears that families would leave Yorkville due to the extensive 20-year construction plan, traffic, noise, and pollution. While Project Steel was approved with near unanimity, Alderman Rusty Corneils voted against it, and the City Council agreed to table the annexation vote for the 80-acre Meyer data center at the same meeting.