228-acre CyrusOne data center agrees to pay Yorkville $15 million up-front, city imposes water use limits
CyrusOne has agreed to pay the City of Yorkville $15 million upfront for its 228-acre data center project, pending City Council approval. This agreement comes alongside new city-imposed water usage limits, mandating a closed-loop cooling system that significantly reduces water consumption for the facility. The project also involves site plan amendments, an 800,000 square foot electrical substation, and city monitoring for sound and traffic.
The City of Yorkville and CyrusOne have reached an agreement regarding the 228-acre data center project, with CyrusOne committing to an upfront payment of $15 million upon the issuance of the first building permit. This agreement, which still requires City Council approval, is linked to new water usage requirements imposed by the city, alongside modifications to the data center's site plan.
The initial plan for nine two-story data center warehouses totaling 2.45 million square feet has been amended to eight single-story warehouses spanning 1.85 million square feet. The warehouses will have a maximum height of 50 feet 10 inches and be constructed in phases over 10-20 years, with the first building expected to be operational by Q1 2028. The site, located at the northeast corner of Faxon Road and Eldamain Road, will include an 800,000 square foot electrical substation powered by a 480-megawatt allocation secured from ComEd.
Key environmental provisions in the agreement include the installation of a closed-loop cooling system, dramatically reducing the project's projected water consumption from 500,000 gallons to a maximum of 40,000 gallons per day. The city will impose financial penalties if water usage exceeds these limits. Additionally, the city will monitor sound pollution and traffic during the lengthy construction period, with the developer funding road improvements on Faxon Road and Beecher Road, including railroad crossing work. City Administrator Bart Olson stated that these funds will support city improvement projects, the Yorkville 115 School District, the Bristol Kendall Fire Protection District, and local charities.