Residents urge delay and more outreach as Lisle board hears opposition to proposed data center

At the Village of Lisle Board meeting on Feb. 2, 2026, residents pressed village officials for fuller community engagement and more data before the Planning and Zoning Commission considers a proposed data center at 711 Ogden Avenue. Multiple speakers warned of noise, health impacts and falling property values if the facility is sited close to homes.

The issue surfaced when the temporary chair updated the public that a data center proposal for the former Lockformer site had been filed and that Planning and Zoning would conduct the public hearing process; trustees apologized for prior communication problems around a cancelled hearing and said staff is working on a new date and venue.

In public comment, Susan Sorelli, an Oakview resident, criticized Illinois American Water’s recent rate activity and raised infrastructure and ownership questions specific to Oakview; she also referenced state legislative bills she said could help residents. Vanessa Berry, also of Oakview, said a Freedom of Information Act response shows emails from Craig McGahee of Cloud Centers Technology to Director Mike Smetana proposing neighborhood engagement in late 2025 but that those meetings did not happen. “We have 300 pages of opposition in the planning packet,” she said, and asked why developer‑led meetings described in emails were not held.

Arbor Ridge resident Lindsey Robertson said homes in her neighborhood are about 150 feet from the proposed facility and described project elements she said include a roughly 50‑megawatt plant with ‘‘40 air chillers and 20 generators,’’ arguing that those features and the proximity are unprecedented nationally. “In review of other large data centers nationally, none were closer than 450 feet away from homes,” she said, and urged a moratorium on new data centers. Madeline Fanelli, a long‑time resident, said there is insufficient research on health effects, that data centers produce mostly temporary construction jobs, and that noise and property‑value impacts have been documented elsewhere.

Trustees and staff told the audience the Planning and Zoning Commission will evaluate the proposal and issue a recommendation to the board; the temporary chair and village manager said the village’s review is a procedural step that does not indicate project approval. Village Manager Cook and trustees said they appreciate resident engagement and stressed that developers typically lead their own pre‑hearing outreach while staff facilitates the formal public‑hearing process.

The board did not take formal action on the data center at the Feb. 2 meeting. Trustees said the public hearing will be rescheduled and that staff will provide consolidated feedback from the open houses and virtual comment channels; the manager said a summary of input is likely to be available in March. The Planning and Zoning Commission remains the body charged with the public hearing and initial evaluation; any recommendation from that commission would come to the village board for a final decision.

What’s next: The Planning and Zoning Commission will schedule a public hearing (date and venue to be announced). Residents were given a virtual open house option and staff provided an email (openhouseh2o@villageoflisle.org) for written comments on the Oakview water topic; the village said it will share the public‑hearing schedule when set.