The fight against data centers in the western suburbs is taking a new turn as Aurora has proposed new regulations for data centers amid backlash from the public over the fast-moving developments.
The City Council is slated to discuss the new regulations at a council meeting on Tuesday night where members could take up a possible vote.
This comes as the 180-day temporary moratorium on new data center facilities was set to expire TuesdayThe city said these new regulations are meant to protect residents, the environment, and to ensure long term sustainability. Some of the measures include setting requirements and limits for noise, vibrations, water, and energy emissions.
Aurora currently has five data centers with five more in the works either under construction or in the permitting process, according to officials.
Some people who live near the CyrusOne Data Center on Diehl Road told NBC Chicago the noise is unbearable.
“We can hear the data center in our house,” said Laura Evans, Aurora resident. “I can hear it in the shower, it doesn’t go away, it’s a constant hum.”
“I mean it’s constant noise,” said Brian Castro, Aurora resident. “You can hear the noise now—it never stops.”
Castro took cellphone video on Sunday showing the decibel level peaking at 63 from his backyard. He said cracks are now forming in the drywall of his home because of the data center facility.
“When they turn the generators on here, our house shakes, it feels like an earthquake,” he described.
He and his neighbors want to see tougher guidelines, standards, and regulations for new data centers moving forward.
“I just think they need to be stricter though, they need to be farther from residential,” said Danielle Fisher, Aurora resident. “The decibel levels needs to be lesser, this should not impact people at all.”
“I get the need for them [data center], but I think some studies need to go into where they need to go and putting them near populated areas is not the right answer for this,” said Paul Jaskowiak, Aurora resident.
The city of Aurora is proposing new regulations, amending ordinances to reflect standards for new data centers. It includes establishing a definition for data centers and their conditional use that would require public meetings and city council approval.
It would also set the noise requirement, limit the amount of vibrations allowed, and cap how much energy and water a facility can use.
City leaders said new data center facilities will have to comply to biometric data privacy safeguards, adhere to grid reliability requirements, and transparency and operational efficiency among other things.
“If a data center wants to come to Aurora, we want one that can meet these requirements because these requirements basically ensure that the data center is going to be a good neighbor and we want to protect our Aurora resident,” said Alison Lindburg, Director of Sustainability for the City of Aurora.
If it doesn’t get approved, the city could extend the moratorium by 30 days giving them more time to discuss and deliberate.
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