Yorkville Data Center Adjustments Address Neighbor Concerns

Developers of the proposed Project Cardinal data center in Yorkville, Illinois, have made significant changes to the project in response to community feedback. The updated plans now include increased setbacks and additional landscaping to mitigate the impact on nearby residential areas. The development consists of 14 two-story data centers and two electrical substations, positioned between the Equestrian Estates and Bristol Bay subdivisions, just northwest of Illinois Route 47 and Galena Road.

Krysti Barksdale-Noble, the city’s community development director, highlighted the adjustments made to the project. “The placement and size of some of these features have been adjusted in response to some public feedback,” she stated. In the first construction phase, several of the warehouses closest to Ashe Road have been moved back an additional 500 feet, resulting in a total setback of nearly 1,200 feet from the Equestrian Estates. Phase two includes a substation along Baseline Road, which has been set back an additional 300 feet, creating a total setback of 625 feet from the Bristol Bay subdivision.

To further mitigate visual and noise impacts, developers plan to plant an additional 450 trees in landscaped berms, bringing the total number of trees to over 5,000. These trees will be initially planted at a height of six feet, which means they will take time to mature and effectively reduce noise pollution.

During a city council meeting on September 9, 2023, Matt McCarron, representing Pioneer Development, LLC, emphasized the potential benefits of the data center for the community. “We are proposing to build a data center campus so there is sufficient tax revenue to enhance the school system, the parks, municipal services, and more third spaces for the community’s benefit,” he said. The project is expected to use 310,000 gallons of water per day at full capacity, which is equivalent to the daily water usage of approximately 1,033 new homes, based on figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Despite these adjustments, local residents have expressed ongoing concerns about the potential negative impacts of the data center. Resident John Joyce voiced his worries, stating that the excess noise could diminish the quality of life for those living nearby. He questioned whether the tax revenue generated by the data center would compensate for the potential decrease in property values in surrounding neighborhoods. “As a citizen of Yorkville who is much further away from the data center, I do not want to benefit from the data center’s tax revenue if it’s at the expense of those who live next to the development,” Joyce remarked.

Another resident, Alicia Castillo, criticized the city’s decision to earmark the entire 3,000 acres for data center development. She argued that this approach limits opportunities for more beneficial projects, such as housing developments, recreation centers, or educational facilities. “What you’re telling the residents is we’re going to build gigantic, permanent, hideous, loud developments that are the size of a subdivision and consume as much water as a subdivision,” Castillo said. She advocates for a more diversified approach to land use that would better serve the entire community.

As the project progresses, the developers will need to balance the anticipated economic benefits against the concerns of local residents, ensuring that the development aligns with the community’s long-term interests.