Members of a recently formed group that opposes a planned data center in Pekin filled the city council's meeting room Monday and 10 speakers told the elected officials and city staff they do not want the development in the city.
Tazewell County Data Center Opposition has more than 2,200 members on Facebook.
The group, which submitted anti-data center petitions with about 2,000 signatures, will have another opportunity to speak out March 24 at a town hall meeting at Pekin Community High School.
Speaker Matthew Johnson called the data center the biggest issue in Pekin since the council voted in 1988 to build the Federal Correctional Institution Pekin despite an advisory referendum that showed the city was overwhelmingly against the prison.
The prison opened in 1994. The controversy surrounding it has died down through the years.
"This data center is on a scale far beyond the prison, and we got a chance to vote on that," Johnson said.
"Data centers are a war on our country because they're a war on our resources, our electricity, our water. I want to leave the world a better place for my daughter. It won't be with this data center."
New York City-based Western Hospitality Partners [WHP] wants to purchase about 320 of the 1,000-acre Lutticken Farm property — located between Illinois Route 98 [also known as Edgewater Drive] and Sheridan Road — to build the proposed data center, which would house computers that help power the world's digital infrastructure.
The Lutticken Farm property was purchased by Pekin last summer for $14 million to open land for residential, retail and industrial investments, and speed the planned extension of Veterans Road to Interstate 474.
WHP wants to spend $4.5 million [$14,000 per acre] for the land to build its data center.
City officials have said about $20 million in property taxes annually would go into Pekin's coffers when the proposed data center is fully developed, more 100 full-time employees would be hired by that time, and the construction project would pump more than $2 billion into the regional economy.
Those are the major arguments for the proposed data center.
A council decision on the proposed data center is months away.
That's because the city holds only a land option agreement with WHP, said Pekin Mayor Mary Burress, and the land is zoned agricultural. The land will need to be rezoned to industrial with the council's approval for the proposed data center to be built.
"Plus, we have the same concerns you do," Burress said to the crowd. "We just sent out a letter Friday to the developer expressing our concerns."
The council voted 6-1 in April for the land option agreement, with Rick Hilst casting the lone "no" vote. Hilst was not at the meeting Monday.
Opponents have their say
Opponents of the proposed data center praised the city for looking for ways to increase Pekin's industrial base, but criticized data centers from all angles during the nearly hour-long public comment portion of the council meeting.
The opponents said they had concerns about environmental impacts, health risks, strains on infrastructure, rising electricity and water bills for residents, claims about job creation, and building the proposed data center in an area with nearby residences that's known for its natural beauty.
"My biggest concern about data centers is noise vibration," said Kim Bowers. "There's a constant humming, like white sound. You feel it in your body and it never stops. You can't get away from it. It doesn't let up. Headphones and earphones don't help.
"The noise causes sleep depravation, which is dangerous. Sleep depravation causes heart attacks, strokes and serious mental illnesses. We should rent a bus and go out to places where there is a data center to hear the noise."
"The vibration is like a drone buzzing," said Dawn Milam. "It disrupts wildlife."
Mark Stevens Jr. called property tax benefits of data centers uncertain and over-rated.
Bowers said the jobs created by data centers are minimal and mostly security.
"Low-paying jobs," said opposition group leader Julianne Golan.
"These large corporations come in and take advantage of a town like ours," Bowers said.
"They've divided other communities," said Zoe Carter. "Don't let them do that to us."
Greg Hansen said he was proud of Pekin residents for turning out in such large numbers to express their opinions, and Donna Hazelman said she was pleased with the turnout so council members could see the faces of those who are concerned.
Dave Milam, who lives on a tree farm near the proposed data center, said he would help the city develop something "more positive and lucrative" than the data center.
Lawyer's letter to WHP
City Attorney Jim Vasselli and City Engineer Justin Reeise, a contract employee, sent a letter Friday to WHP informing the company of the city's "baseline expectations and required mitigation standards" that must be addressed before the city's review process for the proposed data center can begin.
"While the city supports responsible industrial investment, it must protect public infrastructure and preserve the quality of life for its residents," Vasselli wrote.
"The city expects the core issues [with the proposed data center] to be addressed early and with qualified technical support."
The core issues and needed responses are:
- Water resource input: An estimate of projected water consumption (including cooling) and an analysis of impacts on local water resources.
- Acoustics and vibration: Acoustic studies demonstrating that 24/7 mechanical operations will comply with applicable noise and vibration standards.
- Land use standards.
- Electrical grid stability: A technical analysis confirming that power demand will not compromise local service reliability or grid stability.
- Construction logistics: A plan addressing truck routing, staging, construction hours, and mitigation for noise, dust and traffic.
- Architectural integration: Elevations and material specifications reflecting a high-quality facility that integrates into the surrounding environment.
"The city intends to enforce these requirements throughout the review process," Vasselli wrote, adding that the city wants WHP's mitigation response plan within a reasonable timeframe so the city can evaluate the project in an orderly and transparent manner.
No breaking things in Pekin
Peg Phillips was the only council member to speak about the proposed data center.
She began by saying "we are listening" and that data center developers have a history of hurting their host community's qualify of life, calling what was done "awful."
"Any industry with a philosophy of moving forward quickly and breaking things must be viewed skeptically," she said. "This council has no intention of letting a developer move fast and break things here."
She's talked to many constituents, Phillips said, and their reactions to the proposed data center have ranged from it will be an apocalyptic disaster to, 'Oh my God, how can you turn this down?"
The decision of the council boils down to, "Are we going to be the community that does it right, or will we decide we just can't risk it?" she said.
Not so hospitable
Some WHP projects have not gone as planned.
In Braidwood, a city about 30 miles south of Joliet, transmission issues have stalled a development.
Residents' concerns in Oldham County, Kentucky, near Louisville, put an end to a $6 billion, nearly 300-acre project in July.
In Indiana, the St. Joseph's County council voted against a rezoning request in December, stopping a project of more than 1,000 acres in New Castle, near South Bend.
Outside looking in
Several dozen members of the public had to listen to the council meeting outside the meeting room and in the City Hall lobby because the meeting room had reached its 67-person capacity allowed by fire regulations.
Those who couldn't get into the room met with Burress, Vasselli, City Manager John Dossey, Economic Development Director Josh Wray and Fire Chief Trent Reeise before the meeting.
"We see you and we hear you," Burress said to the group from the council table before she called the meeting to order.
Data center website
Dossey announced that the city is putting together a website about the proposed data center to keep the public informed.
Also, Dossey said, another town hall is in the works for February at Pekin High School. This one will focus on the city's process for a development.
