Joliet data center developers say they have 6,000 letters of support

Developers for the proposed Joliet data center said Friday they have 6,000 letters of support for the project.

Hillwood and PowerHouse Data Centers issued a news release announcing the support on Friday ahead of a decisive vote by the Joliet City Council on the project.

The council will vote at a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday on whether to approve the annexation of 795 acres for the project, which would be a green light for developers.

The data center would be built in an area that is largely farmland in the vicinity of Rowell Avenue and Bernhard Road.

The 6,000 letters suggest widespread support for a project that has faced intense public opposition at public meetings.

About 80 people spoke out on the project at a Plan Commission public hearing on March 5, and all but nine of them opposed the data center. They presented a petition with more than 3,000 names of people opposed to the project.

Resident holds custom sign against the proposed Data Center at the City of Joliet Plan Commission meeting on Thursday, March 5, 2026 in Joliet. — Residents hold sign against the proposed sata center at a Joliet Plan Commission meeting on March 5. (Gary Middendorf)

The Plan Commission voted 7-1 to recommend approval of the data center to the City Council.

The council, which has the final say, is likely to approve the project.

City staff also is recommending approval. The city on Thursday announced that the data center developers will contribute $100 million to Joliet if the project is approved.

The money is in addition to an expected $310 million in property taxes and $40 million in property taxes that the data center is expected to generate over the next 30 years.

Such community contribution arrangements for big development projects are not unusual.

Developers of a 1,037-acre data center in Yorkville are making a $91 million community contribution to the city. The Yorkville City Council this week approved the $91 million community contribution agreement while also approving the project.

Yorkville City Hall was packed, including overflow seating, as the City Council considered votes on the 1,037-acre Project Cardinal data center project on March. 10, 2026. — Yorkville City Hall was packed, including overflow seating, as the City Council considered votes on the 1,037-acre Project Cardinal data center project on Tuesday. (Joey Weslo)

The Joliet City Council on Monday also will vote on the $100 million contribution agreement at the same time that it votes on whether to approve annexation for the project.

The 6,000 letters of support were described as coming from “local residents” in the news release from Hillwood and PowerHouse; it did not specify how many letters came from residents of Joliet and neighboring towns.

The data center has support from regional construction unions, which expect to get more than 7,000 jobs building the project.

Unions are among 12 “local organizations” that have submitted letters of support for the data center, according to the news release from the developers.

Those organizations also include the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.