A lot of questions remain regarding the developers’ request for an 18-month property closing extension for the 1,034 acre Project Cardinal data center in Yorkville.

The city held a public hearing with no discussion by or further explanation from city staff during the June 9 City Council meeting.

With millions of dollars in potential tax revenues, and a $51 million development agreement on the line, substantial concerns were voiced by residents who found no answers.

The city’s posted agenda said the developers Matt McCarron and Pioneer Development, LLC, requested the 18-month extension due to “unforeseen consequences.”

The current deadline to close on the property without an extension is July 1.

If the extension is granted and the developers cannot close by Dec. 31, 2027, the already approved annexation agreement, planned unit development, utility and infrastructure agreement, and the $51 million development agreement would all become “null and void,” according to city documents.

City Administrator Bart Olson told Shaw Local the developers have not told the city which parcels they have not yet acquired or why they are having difficulty closing on the land purchase.

While the city’s posted agenda for the meeting stated the implications of the possible extension and its impact on already approved agreements, nothing on the matter was discussed by city officials or explained to residents who did not read the agenda during the actual meeting.

The only statement made prior to the opening of the City Council meeting was by Mayor John Purcell, who said, “I am now opening the public hearing for Project Cardinal annexation agreement amendment. If anyone would like to speak, please step to the microphone, and of course, state your name.”

One resident summed up the frustrations of residents in attendance, saying, “not sure I understand what exactly is going on yet with this request.”

The resident asked city officials the reason why there is a request for an extension and “what are the ramifications of not getting this funding.”

The question was asked if there is a resident who is refusing to sell, and if so, is the entire project at-risk of ever materializing.

Several residents were more pointed with their criticisms of city officials’ handling of the process of reviewing and approving data centers. A common thread was residents requesting that any data center approval be put on an upcoming election ballot to “give the residents back their voice” in the town’s future.

Seeing the developers’ requested extension as a bargaining opportunity, residents asked the city to re-negotiate a smaller project foot-print and to issue a moratorium on construction until all comprehensive health, environmental, noise and light pollution studies are completed.

One resident said “the fact that you think you can silence an entire town to force through the data centers disgusts me.”

Shaw Local News has reached out to McCarron for comment but has not received a response.

While the 1,034-acre site consists of several properties, the annexation agreement specifically pertained to seven individual farmland parcels stretched across a total of 305 acres.

Project Cardinal’s $51 million development agreement was bundled with $40 million by the developers of the 540-acre Project Steel data center.

The city and developers of both Project Cardinal and Project Steel have since been sued by residents forming a community-based organization, Preserve Out Yorkville & Community LLC, who argue the city failed to properly notify area residents.

The lawsuits also argue the sound, traffic, environmental and property values studies were not comprehensive in taking into account the lengthy period of construction and the close proximity of the other data center projects approved by the city.

Resident calls data centers “water hogs”

Within the city’s posted agenda was also a memorandum of understanding with new water usage penalties to be enforced by the city.

While the regulations were not discussed at all by city officials during the meeting, one resident called the city’s actions hypocritical for telling residents to conserve water as it switches to Lake Michigan water while also inviting the “water hogs” to the city.

The city is looking to impose penalties if Project Cardinal exceeds 71,400 gallons of water on any particular day or if it exceeds an average of 42,000 gallons per day across an entire billing cycle.

During an April City Council meeting, Purcell said there’s “no more appetite” from the City Council for data center proposals outside of what’s already been approved.

The city was at one point entertaining about a dozen different data center proposals stretched out across more than 3,000 acres of the Eldamain Corridor, for Yorkville’s own “data center alley.”

The city already has approved the 228-acre CyrusOne data center, the Project Cardinal data center and the 540-acre Project Steel data center.