Normal staff in 'fact-finding mode,' weighing data center impacts after Aurora trip
Town of Normal officials visited a CyrusOne data center in Aurora, Illinois, to assess impacts such as noise, water, and power as they develop local regulations. Normal is also maintaining an existing moratorium on data center applications. Concurrently, McLean County has adopted new regulations concerning data center water usage and infrastructure costs.
Officials from the Town of Normal, Illinois, recently visited a new CyrusOne data center under construction in Aurora to observe its operations and impacts firsthand. This fact-finding mission was conducted to inform Normal's ongoing efforts to develop comprehensive regulations for data center development within its jurisdiction, considering concerns such as noise, water consumption, and power demands.
The Town of Normal is currently maintaining a moratorium on data center applications and is collaborating with the city of Bloomington to host a public forum next month to discuss data center-related issues. These actions are part of a broader trend across Central Illinois where localities are evaluating and implementing controls over the rapidly expanding data center industry.
In related news, McLean County, where Normal is located, has already taken definitive steps. Three months prior, the county restricted data center applications to manufacturing districts. More recently, McLean County voted to enact additional regulations specifically addressing water use and infrastructure costs associated with data center projects.