Yorkville Residents File Lawsuits to Oppose Three Approved Data Centers
Residents in Yorkville, Illinois, from across the political spectrum, are actively opposing the city's approval of three large data center projects, including one by CyrusOne. The group "Preserve Our Yorkville" has filed two lawsuits, staged protests, and raised concerns about environmental impacts, noise, water, and electricity consumption. Despite opposition, the city has already approved the projects.
Residents of Yorkville, Illinois, have formed the group "Preserve Our Yorkville" to combat the city's approval of three large hyperscale data centers: Cyrus One, Project Cardinal, and Project Steel. These projects, slated to cover 25 million square feet of farmland, have united Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in opposition, a rarity in today's political climate. Dolly Flisk, co-owner of an equestrian center in nearby Sugar Grove, helped form an LLC for the group, which has since filed two lawsuits to halt construction. The group has also organized protests and attended numerous city council meetings.
The opposition is driven by concerns over the environmental and health impacts of data centers, including infrasound noise, air pollution, and extensive water and electricity consumption. Shannon Wolowicz, a group member, emphasized that these issues affect all residents regardless of political affiliation. Leesa Poss and Caroline McCree, who is now running for the 75th District seat in the Illinois House of Representatives partly due to this issue, expressed frustration over the perceived disinterest from elected officials, including Mayor John Purcell, during city council meetings where residents voiced their concerns.