While attorneys previously said “substantial progress” has been made toward a settlement for a resident claiming harm from the 1,034 acre Project Cardinal data center in Yorkville, another resident-led lawsuit against the city and the developers has cast everything up in the air.

During a May 8 status hearing before Kendall County Judge Robert Pilmer, attorneys for both sides said they need an extension until May 22 to see how the new lawsuit impacts the settlement negotiations.

Resident John Bryan filed the lawsuit on Oct. 28, 2025 against the United City of Yorkville claiming that Project Cardinal, with its 14 two-story warehouses to be built over a decade or more, will negatively impact his property values and quality of life.

At a Dec. 19, 2025 hearing, the developer Pioneer Development LLC requested and was granted permission to join the case as a defendant.

Since then, both legal teams have repeatedly asked for extensions since late 2025 while telling the judge they are close on a settlement agreement. Neither side has disclosed a possible monetary amount or specific details of the settlement.

On April 29, several residents filed a separate lawsuit against the city of Yorkville and Pioneer Development LLC, claiming the city failed to notify immediate area residents of the plans to annex the unincorporated Kendall County land and rezone the property to manufacturing for data center construction.

The residents involved in the lawsuit have united to form a community-based organization, Preserve Our Yorkville & Community LLC, with the stated goal of filing lawsuits against the city to halt data center construction.

Accompanying the group as plaintiffs is Skyfall Equestrian LLC, residents Dorothy and John Flisk and Charles and Laura Kasper.

Pausing to consider potential impacts

During the May 8 status hearing, Attorney Matt Klepper, representing Pioneer Development LLC, said his client needs time to assess how the new lawsuit impacts the path forward.

“With that new lawsuit, I think all the parties right now are pausing to consider what, if any impact that has on the settlement that we’ve been discussing with Bryan,” Klepper said during the hearing. “I think we would ask that it be continued for a couple of weeks so we can sort our whatever impact this new lawsuit might have.”

Both Attorney Todd Rodden, representing Bryan, and Attorney Tom Gardiner, representing the United City of Yorkville, agreed to the extension.

Pilmer granted an extension to May 22 for further case status regarding the potential settlement.

The lawsuit filed by Preserve Our Yorkville & Community LLC is also before Pilmer. The next court date for that lawsuit is July 24.

During the April 14 City Council meeting, the city announced the developers for the proposed 80-acre Meyer data center withdrew their proposal after losing City Council support.

Mayor John 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.