At the end of a nearly six-hour meeting, mostly filled with residents speaking against data center construction, the Yorkville City Council approved a 1,037-acre project it says will redefine the town’s future.

The vote came at 12:51 a.m. Wednesday. The meeting began at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Overflow seating was needed to fit everyone in attendance into the council chambers, with another 165 people participating over Zoom.

The city council approved the necessary annexation, rezoning, utility and infrastructure agreements for the Project Cardinal data center, that will include 14 warehouses totaling 17 million square feet.

The only dissenting vote came from Alderman Rusty Corneils.

The city had previously approved the developer Pioneer Development, LLC,’s planned unit development on Nov. 10, 2025.

The City Council on March 10 also approved a development agreement with Pioneer Development including a $51 million up-front offer to be paid over the next four years.

The city previously said the money will be sent to the school district, the fire district, city projects, and charitable community organizations.

The development agreement money is likely being combined with another $40 million from the developers, Prologis L.P., of the 540-acre Project Steel data center, that will have 18 warehouses totaling nine million square feet.

The combined $91 million contribution from both projects is subject to full approval for both projects.

The city said $68,250,000 of the funds is potentially being sent directly to the school district for facility improvements.

City administrator Bart Olson said the property deal for Project Cardinal should close this fall. ComEd still needs to grant full power allocation to the sites for them to be finalized.

Olson said the votes for Project Steel’s planned unit development, annexation, rezoning, and development agreement, are pushed back to the next City Council meeting at the earliest as the city is still “negotiating final pieces of all of their agreements.”

Several residents speaking out against the data centers expected a vote on Project Steel during the lengthy March 10 meeting.

Before the vote on Project Cardinal there was little discussion by the aldermen. Amidst the vocal opposition from residents, Alderman Craig Soling made a motion to table the votes to enable time for more impact, environmental, and health studies. No alderman seconded his motion, so ultimately the vote proceeded.

Soling voted yes on all measures for Project Cardinal, arguing data centers have less of a negative impact than other manufacturing or industrial uses that could be built in the Eldamain Corridor, which the city is slating for around a dozen data center projects stretched across more than 3,000 acres.

“If we say no, it’s still an industrial corridor,” Soling said during the meeting.

Several residents called for a moratorium on data center construction and for the projects to be written into a public referendum.

During the meeting, several representatives from trades and construction unions showed their support for the data centers, arguing the steady flow of jobs over the 10-20 year construction period will help support the local economy.

‘You guys sold us out’

As the meeting stretched on, one resident after another voiced opposition to the data centers, citing the proximity of the warehouses to their homes as well as health and environmental concerns.

Residents expressed concerns about the sound, light, and air pollution, especially across the duration of the lengthy construction period.

Resident Maria Torres said families should not be forced to live across the street from data centers. She accused the city of being “in it for the money,” saying families will move away because the city doesn’t care about their well-being.

Resident Christine Dupler said the development agreement was a “drop in the bucket” for the developers. She said forsaking the future of Yorkville’s children was not worth “selling your souls for.”

Pioneer Development said a 70-acre parcel north of Bristol Bay was being donated for recreational purposes.

Addressing water usage concerns, the developers said the data center will now utilize an air-cooled closed loop system, which dramatically reduces the amount of water used daily to around 42,500 gallons. Developers originally said it would use 350,000 gallons daily.

Matt McCarron, a manager with Pioneer Development, said no municipal water will be used for cooling. He also addressed air quality, saying the effect on air pollution will be minimal.

Resident Kara McNamara said turning the area into industrial hurts the enjoyment of Yorkville-life, arguing that property values of homes near the construction will decrease.

After the vote was taken, one resident, speaking to the city council, said, “You guys sold us out, shame on you.”