Aurora, Illinois City Council to take up proposal for data center restrictions
The City Council in Aurora, Illinois, is likely to lay down the hammer on data centers.
The western suburb of Chicago put a moratorium on new data center projects six months ago, and the moratorium expires on Tuesday.
But even with the moratorium lifting, data center developers eyeing Aurora could face some of the strictest regulations in the U.S. — depending on how a city council meeting Tuesday night goes.
Aurora city leaders said they spent months researching and writing proposed new rules they said would limit noise, water use, and other concerns.
But some people who live near the city's existing data centers feel Aurora's proposed restrictions won't go far enough.
Aurora is already home to four data centers, with more on the way. The restrictions up for a vote Tuesday night would go into effect almost immediately, but would only impact new projects.
Data center developers interested in building on Aurora land would need to conduct a sound study before construction. Their design would have to comply with certain vibration, energy use, and water consumption standards.
Requirements also include some sort of renewable energy generation, and compliance with biometric data privacy rules.
The mandates would stop after construction equipment powers down. Once any new data centers are open, operators would need to submit water use, energy consumption, and noise reports to the city.
Aurora director of sustainability Alison Lindburg explained how different the process has been up until this point.
"Basically, they're treated like a warehouse, which, as you can imagine, they have very different operational requirements in terms of energy and parking and all kinds of things," said Lindburg.
As Aurora looks to rein in data centers, Joliet is welcoming one with open arms. Last week, despite resident pushback, city council members in the southwest Chicago suburb gave the green light to the largest data center in the state.
Joliet officials estimate the project will create 7,000 to 10,000 construction jobs, and bring in $2 billion in tax revenue.
CBS News Chicago spoke to homeowners in Aurora, who talked about living with a constant hum thanks to existing data centers there. They said they wish more could be done, but Aurora leaders say their hands are tied with projects that are already established.
Aurora leaders said that is why they are voting Tuesday night on future data centers.