A $500 million data center in Sangamon County won approval from the Sangamon County Board Tuesday night before a large crowd at the Bank of Springfield Center. Opponents shouted their disapproval with the final vote.
Board members narrowly passed a zoning change 17 to 10 with one abstaining. The variance is needed to build the center, which was proposed last year. In March, the board chose to table the issue. But Tuesday night, members moved forward, despite another packed meeting room at the Bank of Springfield Center. There were outbursts from several upset with the proposal and some were escorted out by law enforcement that was on the scene.
More than 60 people signed up to speak, but public comment was cut off after about a quarter of them addressed the board.
The controversial project has drawn strong support from economic development officials, who foresee more property tax revenue, and organized labor, which would benefit from construction jobs. But it’s also brought out residents worried about the impact on utility costs and the environment.
“Listen to the community,” Maribel Cruz-Hine pleaded during the public comment period. “Take more time for research.”
Opponents have argued for a moratorium at the local level, allowing the Illinois General Assembly to consider state legislation that would regulate data center development.
Dallas-based CyrusOne plans to bring a large-scale data campus to Talkington Township, in the 13000 block of Thayer Road in southwest Sangamon County, near Waverly. Plans call for the site to take up about 280 acres of farmland for several buildings. The center will use approximately 600 megawatts when fully built.
A data center houses critical IT infrastructure, including servers, storage systems, and networking equipment. They are characterized as the backbone of the digital economy, processing and storing vast amounts of data for cloud computing, AI, and enterprise applications.
“I want to be clear, I am not opposed to growth or job creation or data centers,” said board member Tracy Sheppard. “I believe those are important. However, decisions of this magnitude must be made with full clarity and careful consideration of long-term impacts, many that we don't know.”
Illinois has offered tax incentives for data centers since 2019.
Economic promise
Supporters tout potential economic benefits. While it is projected to generate about 500 construction jobs over several years, there would also be permanent jobs, estimated at around 100.
“We have to have work, we have to have jobs,” said Josh Summers with the local Iron Workers union. “We have to grow or we stay stale, and we have a lot of people depending on us to stand up here and speak for them.”
The possibility of increased property tax revenue that could support schools, infrastructure, and public services has been a carrot dangled to obtain support.
“This parcel right now is paying about $20,000 to $50,000 a year in property taxes,” said Ryan McCrady, the Springfield-Sangamon Growth Alliance executive director. “The county estimates property taxes will be about $6.5 million on the same 280 acres.”
Among the taxing bodies that will benefit include Sangamon County government, the North Mac School District, Virden Fire Protection District, Talkington Township and Lincoln Land Community College. Other fire departments and schools, including Ball-Chatham and Auburn, would benefit according to the company.
Cyrus One is also planning to dredge nearby Waverly Lake, a move that could extend the life of the water source and recreation site. The company has not requested local tax breaks.
CyrusOne officials also predict Sangamon County will be positioned as a hub for modern digital infrastructure. Data centers play a critical role in powering cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and internet services, and demand for such facilities continues to grow nationwide.
The company said it will fund electrical infrastructure upgrades and work to minimize impacts on surrounding farmland.
The center plans to use a closed-loop cooling system to reduce heavy water usage.
Board member Tony DelGiorno said data centers are unpopular, but that the issue under discussion was simply if the proposal met zoning requirements.
“We have all come to rely upon data in one way or another and pretending that stopping one data center in Sangamon County is somehow going to put the genie back in the bottle, or stop AI in its tracks, is simply unrealistic,” he said.
Environmental and community concerns
Despite the economic promise, the proposal has faced intense scrutiny from residents and advocacy groups. Concerns have centered on environmental impact, noise, energy consumption, and long-term effects on the local quality of life.
For example, they point to the reliance on several backup diesel generators, which would be tested periodically and used during power outages. Critics argue that will result in air and noise pollution, affecting people and animals.
Opponents also say the electricity demand will put a strain on the power grid and could raise utility costs. The Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative has downplayed those concerns.
Several board members and others talked about a lack of trust. One speaker worried what will happen later when the facility is decommissioned. Others are skeptical of promises CryusOne has made.
Board member Marc Ayers questioned the company about an email to labor workers advising them to sign up to speak at the meeting in an effort to take up the time opponents could make their case. CryusOne officials didn’t deny that effort.
He also questioned if the company had waited to announce its proposal until a recent zoning overhaul was complete in an effort to skirt tougher regulations. A company representative disagreed with that allegation.
CyrusOne also admitted to noise issues at a data center in Aurora. Neighbors have complained of diesel generators emitting loud sounds. The company said the Sangamon County project will be father from residential areas and that it has learned from problems elsewhere.
The local data center proposal cleared a major hurdle Tuesday night. But it still needs certain permits, including one for construction. While the vote is complete, opponents like Salem King say they remain leery and concerned.
“The public will remain opposed to this data center regardless of the vote taken tonight,” he said.
Final vote:
District 1 - Harry "Tom" Fraase, Jr. - YES
District 2 - Casey Constant - YES
District 3 - David Mendenhall -NO
District 4 - Jeffrey A. Thomas - ABSTAIN
District 5 - Pam Deppe - NO
District 6 - Tracy Sheppard - NO
District 7 - Craig Hall - NO
District 8 - Tom Rader - YES
District 9 - Tom Madonia Jr. - YES
District 10 - Paul Truax - YES
District 11 - James Schackmann - YES
District 12 - Marc Ayers - NO
District 13 - Brad Miller - YES
District 14 - Joel Tjelmeland, Jr. - YES
District 15 - Tim Krell - YES
District 16 - Greg Stumpf - YES
District 17 - Annette Fulgenzi - YES
District 18 - Sam Cahnman - YES
District 19 - Vera Small - NO
District 20 - Linda Douglas-Williams - NO
District 21 - Reggie Guyton - NO
District 22 - Gina Lathan - YES
District 23 - Tony DelGiorno - YES
District 24 - Andy Van Meter - NV
District 25 - Jennifer Deaner - YES
District 26 - Justin Davsko - YES
District 27 - Abe Forsyth - NO
District 28 - Kevin McGuire - YES
District 29 - Cathy Scaife - NO
