Project Cardinal Data Center Campus
Yorkville, Kendall County, IL[2][5]
- Rumored
- Proposed
- Approved
- Under construction
- Operating
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Project Cardinal is a data center campus proposed by Pioneer Development, LLC on 1,037 acres in Yorkville, Illinois, with 14 data center buildings adding up to more than 17 million square feet. The Yorkville City Council approved the annexation, rezoning, utility and infrastructure agreements in March 2026, and in June 2026 extended the developer's deadline to acquire all parcels to Dec. 31, 2027.
- Site size
- 1,037 acres[3]
Key facts
Size & schedule
| Planned capacity | 1.8 GW [9] 1.8 GW as reported at the proposal stage Source excerpt“One project would see 14 buildings totaling 1.8GW developed in the Kendall County city of Yorkville.” |
|---|---|
| Site size | 1,037 acres [3]Source excerpt“At the end of a nearly six-hour meeting, mostly filled with residents speaking against data center construction, the Yorkville City Council approved a 1,037-acre project it says will redefine the town's future.” |
| Floor area | 17 million sq ft [1] over 17 million square feet Source excerpt“fourteen (14) data center buildings totaling over 17 million square feet, two (2) electrical substations, a utility switchyard, and associated stormwater detention basins.” |
| Buildings | 14 [1]Source excerpt“fourteen (14) data center buildings totaling over 17 million square feet, two (2) electrical substations, a utility switchyard, and associated stormwater detention basins.” |
| Target completion | First building slated for operation in 2029 (as reported in March 2025) [9]Source excerpt“The first building is slated for operation in 2029.” |
How big is that? Data center sizes compared with football fields and Central Park.
Power
| Utility | ComEd [3] Utility pages: ComEd · data centers and bills ComEd power allocation still needed as of March 2026 Source excerpt“ComEd still needs to grant full power allocation to the sites for them to be finalized.” |
|---|
Water
| Water use | 42,500 gal/day [3] around 42,500 gallons daily after redesign; originally 350,000 gallons daily Source excerpt“the data center will now utilize an air-cooled closed loop system, which dramatically reduces the amount of water used daily to around 42,500 gallons. Developers originally said it would use 350,000 gallons daily.” |
|---|---|
| Water source | trucked-in water, no municipal water [6] as described by aldermen at the March 24, 2026 council meeting Source excerpt“Aldermen questioned why Project Steel could not be like Project Cardinal, which will be using zero municipal water and is trucking in its own water for a closed-loop system.” |
| Cooling | air-cooled closed loop [3] |
Money & incentives
| Payments / community benefits | $51 million up-front offer to be paid over four years under a development agreement [3] |
|---|
Local decisions & site
| Deciding vote | Approved by Yorkville City Council; only Alderman Rusty Corneils dissented [3]Source excerpt“The only dissenting vote came from Alderman Rusty Corneils.” |
|---|---|
| Zoning | Rezoning to M-2 General Manufacturing District [1]Source excerpt“M-2 General Manufacturing District to facilitate the development of a state-of-the-art data center campus” |
Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.
Water and power
Water
- about 42,500 gallons per day [3]Projection or estimate. Daily use after the air-cooled closed-loop redesign.
Disclosed figures only, each as the cited source states it. Many are projections or permit limits, not metered use. How data center water and power use is measured, and every disclosed figure →
Community concerns
Concerns are listed as the cited public sources report them (meeting minutes, dockets, filed cases, official statements and news). They are raised, not validated, and a response is shown beside a concern only where a source reports one. All community concerns →
Land use and zoning
- Plaintiffs, including a community LLC, sued the city and developer alleging the city failed to notify area residents of the annexation and rezoning.
Raised by: lawsuit (Preserve Our Yorkville & Community LLC) · Apr 29, 2026 · Source: Shaw Local
Environment and wildlife
- Speakers at the council meeting raised health, noise, light, air pollution and water-use concerns and asked for a construction moratorium and referendum.
Raised by: residents at public meeting · Mar 10, 2026 · Source: Shaw LocalResponse from Pioneer Development: The developer said it would use an air-cooled closed-loop system, with no municipal water for cooling, and that air pollution effects would be minimal. Mar 10, 2026 · Source: Shaw Local
Something missing or wrong? Ask for a review. Posts on social media are never used as sources.
Lawsuits
| Litigation by nearby resident John Bryan | settled [5] The project's 14 two-story buildings were re-phased following a litigation settlement among the city, developers Pioneer Development, LLC and Matt McCarron, and John Bryan, who lives near the site. Source excerpt“The re-phasing of the project's 14 two-story warehouses comes in the wake of a litigation settlement between John Bryan, a resident living near the development site, the city and the developers, Pioneer Development, LLC and Matt McCarron.” |
|---|---|
| Nearby residents' lawsuit against the City of Yorkville and Pioneer Development LLC | pending [7] The plaintiffs argue the city did not notify residents in the immediate area about its plans to annex unincorporated land in Kendall County and rezone that land to manufacturing for data center construction. · filed Apr 2026 Source excerpt“The plaintiffs argue the city failed to notify immediate area residents of the plans to annex the unincorporated Kendall County land and rezone the property to manufacturing for data center construction.” |
Timeline
Plans for the 14-building campus in Yorkville are reported [9]
City approves the project via Ordinance No. 2025-78 [2]
City Council vote at 12:51 a.m. after a meeting that began at 7 p.m. March 10 [3]
A lawsuit names the City of Yorkville and Pioneer Development LLC as defendants [7]
City Council approves an 18-month extension for the developer to acquire all property titles [5]
City Council approves an amendment to the project's PUD [5]
Issues raised
- Residents opposing the project cited air pollution, noise, light pollution and other concerns [4]
- The city plans penalties if the project exceeds 71,400 gallons of water on any day or an average of 42,000 gallons per day over a billing cycle [10]
- If the developer misses the extended acquisition deadline, the annexation agreement would become null and void, according to city documents [10]
- Under the settlement with resident John Bryan, each construction phase must be substantially complete before the next begins [5][8]
Issues are concerns and claims raised by the parties, officials or residents named in the cited sources. They are reported as attributed, not as findings by the Census.
Sources
- Project Cardinal Data Center Campus (Annex Agreement, Rezone, Preliminary PUD & PUD)United City of Yorkville · 2026 · government
- Project Cardinal Data Center Campus (Annexation Agreement Amendment)United City of Yorkville · 2026 · government
- Yorkville data center approval comes after almost 6-hour contentious City Council meetingShaw Local · Mar 12, 2026 · news
- City gives final approval to 1,000-acre Project Cardinal campusWSPY News · Mar 11, 2026 · news
- Changes to Project Cardinal data center construction order splits Yorkville City CouncilShaw Local · Jul 27, 2026 · news
- 'Nobody wants to live in data center row' - Residents speak out after Yorkville approves 540-acre data centerShaw Local · Mar 26, 2026 · news
- Yorkville residents file lawsuit against the city to halt the 1,034 acre Project Cardinal data centerShaw Local · Apr 29, 2026 · news
- Yorkville Council to Consider Settlement in Project Cardinal LawsuitYorkville Herald · Jun 23, 2026 · news
- Two data center campuses totaling 38 buildings proposed in Yorkville, IllinoisDatacenterDynamics · Mar 24, 2025 · news
- Developers of Project Cardinal data center in Yorkville ask for 18-month extension to purchase landShaw Local · Jun 8, 2026 · news
Cite this page
Last updated Nov 5, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.
| APA | Data Center Census. (2026). Project Cardinal Data Center Campus. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/project-cardinal-yorkville-il |
|---|---|
| MLA | “Project Cardinal Data Center Campus.” Data Center Census, Nov 5, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/project-cardinal-yorkville-il. |
| Link | https://datacentercensus.com/dc/project-cardinal-yorkville-il |
Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.