Little Rock Township adopts resolution for all future data centers to require referendum vote

Little Rock Township in Kendall County, Illinois, has enacted a resolution mandating that all future commercial data center proposals within its boundaries be put to a public referendum for voter approval. The resolution, adopted at a May 5 meeting in Plano, requires that any data center on public or commercial property undergo a special election after completing standard review processes, aiming to prevent undue private influence on public measures and ensure community benefit. The township, home to approximately 15,000 residents across nearly 35 square miles, encompasses the city of Plano and the unincorporated community of Little Rock. This local action follows the recent halting of a large Microsoft data center project in Plano in June 2025, a decision made by Microsoft itself despite the City of Plano having annexed and rezoned 500 acres of agricultural land for the campus in 2024. The issue of data center development is also contentious in neighboring Yorkville, where the City Council has approved three major data center campuses, including the 1,034-acre Project Cardinal and a CyrusOne facility, after initially considering a dozen plans. Growing resident opposition in Yorkville has led to the formation of Preserve Our Yorkville & Community LLC, which has filed lawsuits against the City of Yorkville and Pioneer Development LLC, the developers behind Project Cardinal, to stop construction. Concurrently, State Representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville), citing overwhelming public opposition, has introduced House Bill 5755, a legislative effort at the state level that would require a public referendum before any municipality could approve a data center project, thereby ensuring direct resident input on these developments.