Itasca board gives recommending approval to NTT data‑center plan; Trustee Daley recuses

The Village of Itasca Board on Oct. 1 voted to recommend approval of a planned development, special use and several zoning exceptions for a proposed NTT Global Data Centers project at 121250 Arlington Heights Road, moving the matter to a second reading and formal vote at the board's Oct. 15 meeting. Trustee Daley announced she would recuse herself from the matter "due to a possible conflict of interest with my employment." The recommending vote passed; Mayor Jeff J. Prine later said he would cast an affirmative vote in light of the recusal.

The petitioner, NTT Global Data Centers (NTT CH 4), is seeking a planned development with special use and exceptions to the Itasca Zoning Ordinance to demolish two existing office buildings and a parking structure and construct a new data center on Lots 1 and 2 of the Hamilton Lakes East assessment. NTT representatives described the structure as a large campus building set back from Arlington Heights Road, retaining an existing pond and adding perimeter security and internal mechanical yards. John Andreas, vice president of real estate at NTT Global Data Centers, described it as the company's fourth building on the campus and said the new facility would be roughly 441,000 square feet and "serve 54 megawatts of critical power," drawing from the local substation.

Why it matters: the project requests multiple zoning exceptions that affect building height, floor‑area ratio, landscaping and parking; those exceptions require board approval and carry neighborhood impacts that trustees pressed the developer to address during the presentation and Q&A.

NTT outlined specific relief requested from the village zoning code, including raising the allowable building height (the petitioner requested up to 90 feet where 45 feet is typical), increasing the permitted floor‑area ratio, reducing required landscape area along the west and north property lines, modifying lighting requirements below the 0.5 foot‑candle standard in portions of the parking lot, and reducing required bicycle parking. At the Planning Commission hearing, the zoning requests were approved by a vote of 5–1 subject to staff recommended conditions; the board packet for Oct. 1 included that planning commission recommendation.

NTT said the site work would demolish two office buildings and an existing parking structure; the new building would have a separate entrance, perimeter fencing and on‑site security. Company presenters said the project team is keeping an existing stormwater pond in place and plans sound‑attenuation measures around rooftop chillers and generator equipment. John Andreas said the company is using quieter chillers and acoustical enclosures to meet local sound criteria and that generators would be located on the west side of the building between the new building and existing NTT structures. On staffing, Andreas said NTT would own and operate the building and maintain on‑site security 24/7; he described NTT employees as the building's core staff and said tenant customers may have additional personnel.

Board members asked about noise, visibility from neighboring properties, landscaping reductions, the location of the perimeter fence and the project's expected staffing. Trustee questions included whether NTT would staff armed security (the company said no), how many on‑site employees typical buildings host, and how the developer would preserve the pond and landscaping. NTT responded that the building's design uses layered facades and a 120‑foot setback on the north side to reduce visual scale from Arlington Heights Road, and that building materials would mirror the first NTT building on the campus.

Trustee Daley stated during the meeting, "Carrie Anne, just as a point of order, I may have to recuse myself from this vote due to a possible conflict of interest with my employment." Daley did recuse herself for the recommending vote. The roll call recorded Ayani, Gavanas, Leahy and Maderas voting in favor (recorded as affirmative), Trustee Powers absent; Mayor Prine said that because of Daley's recusal he would vote in the affirmative for the recommending action. The board moved the matter off the consent calendar and placed the item on the non‑consent agenda for the Oct. 15 meeting, when the official final vote will be taken.

The petitioner was told it did not need to attend the Oct. 15 meeting but was encouraged to be available to answer follow‑up questions prior to the official vote. Planning staff and the petitioner exchanged supplemental materials in advance of the Oct. 1 meeting; village staff told the board the planning commission's approval included standard staff conditions that will be reflected in the final ordinance if the board adopts the zoning relief.

Next steps: the board's Oct. 15 meeting will include the official second reading and final board vote on the planned development and associated zoning exceptions for NTT CH 4. If approved, NTT will still be required to satisfy conditions placed by staff and the planning commission and to obtain required building permits and other regulatory approvals before construction.