Hawthorne Race Course workers face Monday deadline to move out
A data center company is buying Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, IL, leading to the displacement of 500 workers and their families. Local officials in Stickney and Cicero are vocally opposing the data center, vowing to block any zoning changes or permits for its construction. The sale is set to close in September after a federal judge ordered residents to vacate due to the owner's bankruptcy.
The Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Illinois, the last operating racetrack in the Chicago area, is being sold to a data center developer for $90 million following the owner's bankruptcy. The sale is expected to close on September 1st. Approximately 500 workers and their families, who lived on-site, face a Monday deadline to vacate their homes and remove their belongings and animals, or they will face immediate eviction by law enforcement as per a federal judge's order. The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association is assisting residents with emergency housing relocation efforts.
Local officials in Stickney and nearby Cicero have vocally opposed the data center project, vowing to block any zoning changes or permits necessary for its construction. The unnamed developer reportedly owns and operates hundreds of data centers nationwide, with nine already located in the Chicago area.