A plan to drop a full-scale data center on longtime farmland in South Elgin has arrived on former Kane County Board member Mike Kenyon’s doorstep, and nobody on the property seems thrilled about being in the spotlight.
The concept calls for server buildings and support infrastructure on part of a 31.4-acre property at the northwest corner of Kenyon Road and Illinois Route 25, in a mostly agricultural pocket of the village. The idea is already raising questions about water use, noise and tax revenue in a neighborhood more used to tractors than tech.
South Elgin’s Planning and Zoning Commission holds its regular meetings at the Public Safety Center, 50 S. Water St., according to South Elgin. Those sessions are where concept plans like this usually get their first public airing from staff and commissioners.
What the Developer Is Proposing
As reported by the Kane County Chronicle, a company called Whiterose Partners LLC has approached Kenyon about buying roughly 20 acres of the parcel and seeking annexation of that portion into South Elgin.
Whiterose managing partner Jeff Eigenbrood told the paper in an email that the project is projected to generate more than $1 million a year in property taxes, and that the company would pay for any necessary electrical grid upgrades tied to the development.
The developer also told the Kane County Chronicle the data center is planned with a closed-loop cooling system that would require a one-time water fill of less than half the volume of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Ongoing water use for operations, Eigenbrood said, would be modest.
Owner and Farm Reaction
Kenyon, 81, spent 18 years on the Kane County Board and still operates Kenyon Brothers Dairy on the site. He told the Kane County Chronicle that the overture has put him squarely in the hot seat.
“My wife is mad at me,” he said, adding that he was “expecting people to be mad at me.”
Public records and listings on Zillow show the parcel at 33W304 Kenyon Road totals about 31.4 acres and hosts the family’s dairy operation, which keeps roughly 55 cows.
Cooling, Water and the Bigger Picture
Data centers can vary widely in how much water and noise they produce. Newer closed-loop or dry cooling technology can sharply cut direct onsite water consumption, shifting more of the focus to how the electricity that feeds the servers is generated.
A recent analysis by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation looked at strategies to bring down data center water use and found that closed-loop and direct-to-chip cooling can reduce consumption to very low levels. Indirect water use tied to power generation, however, remains a policy challenge, according to the group.
Whiterose is set to bring its concept plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission at its Aug. 19 meeting. That presentation is expected to shed more light on the timeline for any annexation, zoning changes or permits. Neighbors and village officials will be watching closely as the review unfolds, and any formal application would trigger additional public notices and hearings.
