The City of Lockport will host a series of workshops in the coming weeks to discuss the possibility of using the Star Innovation District to develop a data center.

Mayor Steven Streit emphasized that there is no official plan under consideration while addressing the topic at Wednesday night’s City Council meeting.

The workshops will be held to get “a better understanding” of the options, he said.

The Star Innovation District is the former Chevron property purchased by the city for redevelopment in 2021.

The 178-acre property is located between the city’s historic downtown and the canal. The site has been fully environmentally remediated after significant pollution from the former oil facilities.

Last year, the site was a finalist in the bid to host a new quantum computing facility. That opportunity eventually went to Chicago.

Streit noted that data centers are among the uses the property is currently zoned for, but said the city wants to more fully explore the possibility before pursuing anything concrete.

“We want to have workshops where we talk with the community about the potential pros and cons and if we can do the necessary environmental mitigation and meet the goals of the district,” Streit said.

Two workshops are currently scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 26 and June 4.

Both meetings will be held at Lockport Township High School East Campus, to accommodate more people and to clarify that official city business is not taking place and decisions are not being made.

Along with members of the community, the city said it plans to invite experts from ComEd, Argonne National Laboratory, and the office of Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, to discuss the possibilities and the potential concerns and needs created by a data center.

Streit urged people not to jump to conclusions about the meetings.

“We don’t have to sell it,” Streit said. “But it behooves us as a city to have a good understanding of this issue. This could be a big opportunity. It is a massive paradigm shift in our world.”