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Residents press Carol Stream board for limits and testing as new data center readies to open
Summary
Residents told the Village of Carol Stream they were blindsided by a 10‑megawatt, 90,000‑square‑foot data center set to open this summer and asked the board to bar expansion, require baseline noise/vibration testing, and hold operators financially responsible for contamination; village staff said the operator paid permitting costs and the village was not party to an NDA.
Residents used the board’s listening‑post to raise concerns about a data center in Carol Stream that officials say will begin operations this summer.
Wendy Yankee, a Carol Stream resident, asked the board to “draw a hard line in the sand” against any future expansion of the site, citing municipal‑utility strain and public‑health risks. “Expanding the facility…creates severe long‑term risks for our village infrastructure,” she said, and requested independent baseline testing for noise, vibration and other emissions at the property line.
Jim Yankie, another resident, said neighbors had largely learned about the project through social media and urged greater transparency. “Residents in Carol Stream deserve clear answers about how this facility will affect the quality of life,” he said, adding that a nondisclosure agreement preventing disclosure of the end user raised public distrust.
Village Manager Homer addressed the room and the specific claims. He said the village reviewed preliminary site plans in fall 2023 and issued construction permits in 2024. He described the project as a 10‑megawatt, 90,000‑square‑foot facility and said the operator estimated water use at “just under 11,000,000 gallons a year.” He also told residents the operator paid costs to extend power to the site and that “nobody in Carol Stream is paying electric costs for the data center’s electric use.”
Homer disputed two recurring claims raised by residents: he said the village was not a party to any nondisclosure agreement and that he was not aware of any active expansion plans. “To our knowledge, this is simply not true,” he said of expansion reports, and added that the property was subdivided after construction began to allow sale of a second parcel but that a sale had not occurred.
The board did not adopt new restrictions during the meeting. Mayor Savarino and staff encouraged residents to follow up with village staff for technical details and said staff would discuss concerns offline. No formal action, moratorium or ordinance addressing the data center was proposed at the meeting.
Next steps: Village staff said operations are expected this summer and invited residents to contact the village for further information and to request any available testing or monitoring reports.
