Data Centers | March 17, 2026
Joliet delays vote on Illinois' largest proposed data center after a seven-hour hearing; Monterey Park calls a special election to ban data centers citywide. READ MORE.
At A Glance 🔽
- Joliet, IL council adjourns without voting on a 795-acre data center campus after a seven-hour public hearing; vote moves to Thursday.
- Monterey Park, CA extends moratorium to January 2027 and calls a June 2 special election to ban data centers citywide.
- Mason, MI council repeals its data center ordinance after a citizen petition gathered enough signatures to suspend it.
- Hermantown, MN council meeting reveals deep community split after Google is confirmed as the company behind a proposed hyperscale data center.
- Indianapolis, IN council committee hears warnings that data center electricity demand is driving up residential utility bills statewide.
- Simpson County, KY judge hears procedural motions in TenKey's lawsuit challenging the county's data center ordinance; next conference set for April 13.
- Archbold, OH holds off on a moratorium and shifts focus to zoning updates to proactively block data center development.
JOLIET, Illinois
Joliet's city council adjourned just before midnight without voting on the proposed 795-acre Joliet Technology Center after a public hearing stretched more than seven hours. Under state law, the council could not continue past midnight ahead of Tuesday's primary election.
The campus would include 24 two-story buildings focused on artificial intelligence operations. Developers project 7,000 to 10,000 construction jobs over seven years, with groundbreaking planned for early 2027. The facility would draw about 1.8 gigawatts of electricity annually, roughly half the yearly consumption of the city of Chicago.
More than 150 residents spoke during the hearing, with the majority urging the council to reject the project. Concerns centered on water use, energy consumption, land use, and noise. A petition with more than 4,700 signatures opposing the development was presented. The council is scheduled to reconvene Thursday at 5 p.m. to continue deliberations.
MONTEREY PARK, California
NEWS: City Council Adopts Data Center Moratorium, Directs Additional Action to Prohibit Data Centers
Monterey Park's City Council voted unanimously to extend its data center moratorium to January 2027 and called a special election on June 2, 2026, with a ballot proposition to prohibit data centers citywide.
The moratorium targets a proposed 225,000-square-foot data center by Australian company HMC StratCap at 1977 Saturn Street, an industrial area with 86% vacancy. The project would use 45 megawatts of electricity per year, equal to the entire city's current consumption. Despite promises of $5 to $7 million in annual parcel tax revenue and a new public pocket park, opposition grew after the developer opted for a Mitigated Negative Declaration instead of a full Environmental Impact Report.
The moratorium prohibits the city from processing any pending applications, accepting new ones, or advancing anything for council consideration.
MASON, Michigan
Mason's city council approved to repeal its data center ordinance Monday night after a citizen petition gathered enough signatures to suspend it. The council faced a choice: repeal the ordinance entirely or let voters decide in November.
Ordinance 266, adopted last month, had established an M3 zoning framework with guidelines for data center size, location, and noise. More than 30 speakers addressed the council, with many accusing members of lacking transparency throughout the process. Mayor Russell Whipple said the repeal gives the city more flexibility, noting the council can draft and adopt a replacement ordinance without waiting five months for the suspended measure to go to a vote.
Mason now falls back to M2 state regulations governing data center construction. The city has no immediate timeline for new regulation.
More info on M-3 Technology Innovation District
HERMANTOWN, Minnesota
Hermantown held its first city council meeting since the public learned Google is the company behind a proposed hyperscale data center, and the community split was on full display. Members of the grassroots group "Stop the Hermantown Data Center" wore red, while trade union members under "YesMN" wore green.
On the agenda was a resolution to restart the city's Alternative Urban Areawide Review, typically used for light industrial development. Opponents have called for a full Environmental Impact Statement instead, arguing it is what's needed for a project of this scope. Some marched a mile to city hall before the meeting. Supporters pointed to an estimated eight years of construction work for skilled trades.
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana
Recent energy laws passed at the Indiana Statehouse drew scrutiny at an Indianapolis City-County Council committee meeting Monday, where data centers were not on the agenda but quickly became the focus.
Kerwin Olson, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition, told council members that demand from large-scale data facilities is already driving up energy costs.
Among the legislation discussed was House Enrolled Act 1210, which requires new data centers to pay a 1% tax on the electricity they use, with revenue going directly to local host communities rather than the state. Council members said constituents are increasingly frustrated by rising energy bills tied to data center expansion across central Indiana.
SIMPSON COUNTY, Kentucky
A lawsuit over a proposed data center in Simpson County moved forward Monday as attorneys argued procedural motions before Chief Circuit Judge Mark A. Thurmond. TenKey LandCo I, LLC filed the suit seeking a declaratory judgment on whether Simpson County can enforce its ordinance regulating data centers within the City of Franklin.
The county asked the court to stay proceedings while potential amendments to the ordinance move through the local planning and zoning process. TenKey opposed the request, arguing the current ordinance remains in effect regardless of any pending text amendments. A separate motion involves TenKey's bid to disqualify the county's legal counsel over a prior attorney-client relationship. The judge took both motions under advisement, with the next status conference set for April 13 at 1:30 p.m.
ARCHBOLD, Ohio
Archbold village officials told a packed council meeting that a drafted moratorium on data centers will not be implemented at this time. The village attorney advised that no formal proposal, zoning request, or plan to build a data center currently exists, making a moratorium unnecessary.
Instead, village leaders are focusing on updating zoning regulations to proactively prevent data centers from coming to the community. Mayor Bradley Grime said the village is committed to blocking data center development but emphasized that zoning changes must be done correctly to hold up legally. Officials have a moratorium drafted and ready to deploy if circumstances change.
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