The developer that wants to build a data center in South Elgin is moving forward with submitting project plans despite village board members this week indicating they would not approve it.
To bolster its case, White Rose Partners announced Wednesday that it has created a website, southelgin-projectkilo.com, to provide “transparent information” on what is being proposed, including the economic benefits, infrastructure needs and environmental considerations.
Residents can use the site to ask questions and provide feedback, a news release said.
“We would respectfully ask that no conclusions be reached before the facts of the project have been presented and the public process has run its course,” Jeff Eigenbrood, managing partner with White Rose Partners, said in an email. “All we ask is a fair hearing on the merits, and we’re confident the proposal will stand up well to that review.”
White Rose hasn’t had “the opportunity to present our proposal to the village’s planning and zoning commission or the village board, and we look forward to doing so,” he said. “It’s worth noting that the village’s own 2030 Comprehensive Plan identifies this property for future annexation and designates it for industrial land use. That planning guidance is one of the primary reasons we selected this site.”
The 20-acre unincorporated property on which the 200,000-square-foot data center would be built is at Kenyon Road and Route 25 and owned by the Kenyon Brothers Co., which is selling it to White Rose. The development company wants annex it into South Elgin and rezone it from agricultural to industrial use.
Initially the concept was to be reviewed by the village’s Planning and Zoning Commission in July, but the hearing was postponed and could be held Aug. 19.
An online petition urging the village to reject the center has been signed by more than 7,660 people as of Wednesday afternoon, with opponents raising concerns about its proximity to residential areas, potential noise and environmental impacts, and the amount of electricity and water needed to operate it.
Village trustees, some of whom took offense at negative social media comments portraying board approval as a “done deal,” took a straw poll at Monday’s meeting that indicated most were not in favor of it.
Trustee Mike Kolodziej, who sought trustees’ comments on the project, was clear that he would not vote for it. “I personally have no interest in learning more about them or having (a data center) in my back yard,” he said at the meeting.
However, the village attorney cautioned board members not to reject it out of hand as the developer has a legal right to submit its request and the trustees have a legal obligation to hear them out.
In his email, Eigenbrood said, “We understand residents have questions; that’s exactly what the public review process is for. The upcoming hearings will give the community, the commission and the board the chance to examine the actual facts of the proposal in detail, and we welcome that conversation.”
The South Elgin Data Center is designed to meet growing demand for digital infrastructure, the news release on the website’s creation said. It’s expected to generate several million dollars in new annual tax revenue for the village as well as for Kane County and the U-46 School District while also creating permanent jobs and construction jobs, the release said.
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“There has been a lot of misinformation circulating online, and we hope that our website can help clear up some confusion about our proposal.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.