Aurora City Council meeting held for proposed data center restrictions

For the past six months, the City of Aurora, Illinois, has implemented a pause on any new data center developments while city officials conducted research to establish new regulations. During a recent City Council meeting, the council was set to give a final vote on these proposed restrictions for new data centers. Residents living near existing data centers, including a CyrusOne facility, have consistently voiced complaints about incessant noise from generators, impacting their quality of life. In response to these concerns, the new restrictions require future data centers to conduct studies on sound, noise, and water, meet specific standards for noise, vibrations, and energy, and secure City Council approval. City officials, incorporating resident feedback, lowered noise level requirements and proposed that generators and chillers be situated at least 1500 feet from homes. However, these new rules do not apply to the four existing data centers or the five currently under development, though these facilities must be transparent about their energy, water, and noise usage. While some stakeholders expressed concerns that strict regulations might deter new businesses from developing in Aurora, a representative from CyrusOne affirmed the company's commitment to being a