Urbana city council passed a 12-month moratorium on new data centers by a vote of 6-1 on Tuesday to give the city time to assess their potential impacts.
This comes on the heels of developers taking steps to construct a $1 billion data center project there.
The Champaign County Community Center Auditorium was overflowing Tuesday night, packed with residents wanting to know about project plans and the fate of the moratorium.
New York-based real estate firm Thor Equities wants to construct the Urbana Technology Hub near the intersection of Ohio 55 and U.S. 68 near the Rittal plant. It would consist of a single story building that’s about 460,000 square feet.
Texas-based data center developer CyrusOne attached itself to the project in recent weeks.
Chris O’Grady with CyrusOne spoke at the meeting before the moratorium was passed.
“We take our responsibilities as developers and operators seriously and invite the community to engage with our team. In the coming weeks, we'll be meeting with local stakeholders, neighbors, and those of you who want to speak with us directly,” O’Grady said.
Many residents oppose the project and organized once the proposal came to light. That includes starting a website and circulating a petition with over 4,000 online signatures to oppose data centers in Champaign County, all within the last two weeks.
At the meeting, some questioned its estimated water and energy usage. Neighbors also worry about the effect on the ecosystem at nearby Cedar Bog Nature Preserve.
The council motioned to vote on the measure before citizen comments.
Council member Amy Jumper said they were elected to make thoughtful decisions for the community.
“Our responsibility isn't about moving quickly, it's about doing what's right," Jumper said prior to the vote. "It's about supporting the moratorium, it is about honoring that duty. Our community placed its trust in us to lead carefully and responsibly. I believe voting in favor of this reflects that commitment to our community.”
The developers didn’t say what they would do if the moratorium was passed.
