A massive data-centre campus planned in Grayslake, Illinois, has moved a step closer to construction after the village issued its first building permit, paving the way for an 800,000-square-foot facility.
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village → plan → facility
The larger development is expected to involve as much as $18 billion in private investment, but the project has also triggered opposition from residents who say they were not given a meaningful opportunity to weigh in before approvals were granted.
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approvals → expect → opportunity
The T5 Data Centres project, known as the Cornerstone development, is planned on land along Peterson Road in Grayslake.
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project → know → Grayslake
The latest plans call for about 6.7 million square feet of data-centre space to be built over 7 to 10 years.
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feet → call → years
Earlier approvals allowed for a larger development of up to about 473 acres and as much as 10.1 million square feet, according to village documents.
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approvals → allow → documents
The village said the initial permit marks the operational start of the multibillion-dollar campus, with site work moving forward.
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work → say → campus
Neighbours say they found out too late
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they → say → ?
While the village and developer have promoted the project as a major economic investment, some nearby residents say they were unaware of the scale of the development until after key approvals had already been granted.
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approvals → promote → development
CBS Chicago reported that residents living close to the future data centre said they did not realise what was planned until the project had already been approved.
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project → report → centre
Rob Baum, whose family has owned property near the site for three generations, said he had believed the land was simply farmland and was surprised by the scale of the planned construction.
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land → own → construction
"This was all farm field," he said.
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he → say → ?
"My uncle owns like five acres back there.
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uncle → own → acres
It seemed like they kinda snuck it under the table a little bit," Baum said.
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Baum → seem → table
Hannah Harris, another resident, told CBS that residents did not understand that the project was being approved because of what she described as "ambiguous language."
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she → tell → language
She said she began attending village meetings after learning more about the development, but by then the project had already received approval.
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project → say → approval
The concerns extend beyond the size of the buildings.
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concerns → extend → buildings
Residents have raised questions about potential environmental effects, water consumption, electricity demand, noise and wetlands around the site.
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Residents → raise → site
The opposition has also moved into the legal arena.
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opposition → move → arena
A lawsuit filed by opponents seeks to challenge the village's approvals, while residents have organised through the Lake County Data Centre Opposition Coalition.
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residents → file → Coalition
Earlier reporting by the Daily Herald said opponents argued that the public hearings surrounding the approvals were inadequate and that the village did not commission third-party studies to support some of its conclusions.
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village → say → conclusions
Those are allegations made by opponents and remain subject to the legal process.
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Those → make → process
What the village and T5 say
T5 Data Centres has defended the development and said it intends to continue engaging with residents.
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it → say → residents
Pete Marin, CEO and chairman of T5, said the company was committed to incorporating community input.
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company → say → input
He pointed to the company's decision to voluntarily withdraw an application related to the remediation of local wetlands after hearing concerns from residents.
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He → point → residents
T5 has also said it is working with the village on standards involving noise, water and electricity use.
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it → say → use
The company has said the project is expected to generate about $1.4 billion in property tax and permit-fee revenue over 20 years.
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project → say → years
The Village of Grayslake has similarly emphasised the financial impact.
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Village → emphasise → impact
According to village officials, the project is moving forward without local tax incentives, exemptions or tax-increment financing subsidies.
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project → accord → incentives
The village estimates the campus could generate approximately $1.4 billion in property tax revenue for local taxing bodies over its first 20 years.
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campus → estimate → years
The village currently operates with a balanced budget and no municipal debt, officials said, meaning the additional revenue could potentially support infrastructure, parks, trails, schools and other community projects rather than being used to pay existing municipal debt.
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revenue → operate → debt
Water use, power and environmental questions
Data centres have attracted increasing attention in the US because of their electricity and water requirements, particularly as artificial intelligence drives demand for computing capacity.
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intelligence → attract → capacity
Grayslake officials say the planned campus will use closed-loop cooling systems and estimate that an average data-centre building would consume around 2,500 to 3,500 gallons of water a day.
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building → say → water
For the full 6.75-million-square-foot campus, the village estimates total water use at approximately 50,000 gallons per day.
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village → estimate → day
The developer is also expected to fund the electrical infrastructure the campus requires, including an electrical substation on the property, according to the village.
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campus → expect → village
The village has stressed that the permit does not exempt the project from environmental or other regulatory requirements.
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permit → stress → requirements
The facilities will remain subject to local, state and federal rules covering issues including stormwater, sound, lighting, sewer discharges, air emissions and water use.
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facilities → remain → stormwater
Wetlands have nevertheless remained a point of contention.
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Wetlands → remain → contention
T5 previously sought permission to remediate isolated wetlands by replacing them elsewhere, but later withdrew that application after concerns were raised.
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concerns → seek → application
The company has said the decision followed community feedback.
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decision → say → feedback
A major development still facing scrutiny
The first 800,000-square-foot permit does not mean the entire campus will appear at once.
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campus → face → scrutiny
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
