Aurora City Council to possibly place strict regulations on new data centers

The City of Aurora, Illinois, is on the verge of implementing some of the nation's strictest regulations on new data center developments. The Aurora City Council is preparing for a final vote next week on a set of proposed restrictions that address concerns over noise, vibration, and energy and water consumption. These measures follow a nearly six-month moratorium on new data centers in the western suburb, during which the city's director of sustainability, Alison Lindburg, consulted with various stakeholders. Under the proposed regulations, new data centers would be required to meet specific thresholds for energy, water, and noise, report this data annually, obtain city council approval before construction, and implement their own clean energy and battery storage solutions to strengthen the local power grid and mitigate rising electricity costs. Residents living near existing facilities, such as a CyrusOne data center, expressed significant frustration at a recent council meeting, citing constant noise and vibrations. However, the proposed regulations would only apply to future data centers, not the five existing or already approved facilities. Lindburg noted that the city's ability to impose new restrictions on current data centers is limited, though a transparency ordinance is being pursued to mandate annual reporting on energy, water, and noise levels from all existing operations. The new rules could take effect as early as April 1 if approved.