South Side Residents Call on Mayor to “Reverse the Permits,” Stop Quantum Campus
South Side Chicago residents are actively opposing the proposed Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, fearing it will house a data center and cause negative environmental impacts. Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order strengthening data center regulations and calling for a moratorium, but residents are not satisfied with his stance on the specific project. Developers, Related Digital, had previously announced plans for a hyperscale data center on the site.
South Side Chicago residents gathered at an August 15 town hall, urging Mayor Brandon Johnson to halt the construction of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on the former U.S. Steel South Works site. The community advocacy organization Southside Together organized the "Community Over Quantum" event, where residents and activists voiced concerns about potential negative environmental impacts and the facility possibly becoming a data center, despite soil remediation efforts on the contaminated landfill site.
Mayor Johnson's appearance followed his August 11 executive order directing city departments to implement stricter data center regulations, including tougher limits on air and noise pollution and enhanced review of water and electricity usage. The order also proposed a city council moratorium on new data center developments. However, when pressed to directly stop the quantum facility, Johnson stated his values hadn't changed but the information supporting the project was "stronger." He conveyed that developers had indicated the first phase would not be a data center, promising strict regulation if plans change.
Lia Terrell, a Southside Together member, expressed dissatisfaction with the Mayor's response, stating, "We don’t have the mayor’s support. The data center executive order is not the same thing as stopping the quantum facility." Earlier, Related Digital, a subsidiary of the project's main developer, announced intentions to build a one-gigawatt hyperscale data center on the property. Justin Cosby of Southside Together criticized the city and state for subsidizing the quantum park while local grocery stores close, arguing that allowing construction with restrictions still exploits the community.
The state of Illinois has invested approximately $700 million in the development, with an additional $175 million in promised county tax breaks over 30 years. The City of Chicago allocated $5 million from a bond program, and the UChicago-based Chicago Quantum Exchange, a project partner, secured nearly $55 million in U.S. Economic Development Administration grants for a quantum computing supply chain.