In Naperville, Illinois, two western suburbs are deliberating the approval of separate data centers, sparking considerable local debate.

In one case, Naperville’s city council is weighing the developer’s proposal for a data center, despite the opposition from thousands of citizens who have signed a petition against it.

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The developers are eyeing a site along the Interstate 88 corridor, seeking council approval, while residents express concerns over environmental impacts, noise, and health issues, urging the council to reject the plan.

Local resident Rich Janor voiced his worries, saying, “This is where children play and ride their bikes; there are three playgrounds nearby.”

Rich, a father of two, joins over 5,000 others in opposing the construction of a 36-megawatt data center by Karis Critical, which would occupy about 145,000 square feet on the former Lucent campus off Warrenville Road.

He further expressed, “We believe this will negatively impact property values. People are unlikely to move into an area with a data center nearby.”

William and Linda Scotti live a short walk away from the proposed site. They moved in just 18 months ago.

“See that dead tree? The day we moved in, it was April. There were two bald eagles sitting there on that dead tree,” Linda said.

The Scottis are concerned the wildlife from the adjacent forest preserve may permanently leave because of the potential noise and air pollution, citing the plans for 24 diesel generators in the proposal.

Karis Critical says the generators are new technology with less emissions than old diesel technology and would only be required in case of an electrical outage.

“Here’s my question, would you want a data center in your backyard?” William said.

So, ABC7 posed that question to an executive at Karis Critical, Greg Strom, who is also a Naperville resident.

“I am very confident. And also, I was on those tours of city council members in December when you go to these facilities and you stand up front. And trust me, we had a decibel reader with us. It’s very clear that sound doesn’t travel that far,” Strom said.

Strom says his company has worked with the city of Naperville to codify everything they have pledged in their proposal.

“A lot of residents were concerned. It’s like, ‘Hey, they make all these promises. What’s to stop them from going against those promises?’ The city does a great job of then putting that writing in an enforceable way,” Strom said.

Just a few miles away, another data center is in the works, and with the proliferation of artificial intelligence and cloud computing, Rich says, one way or another, Naperville may be on the cusp of setting a critical precedent.

“Other towns are watching Naperville, the third largest city in Illinois, and a lot of times, they’re watching what we do and may may react accordingly. So, the stakes are pretty high here tonight,” Rich said.

Tuesday’s city council meeting is set for 7 p.m. The official agenda says the council will consider the request for approval of this proposed data center.