A recommendation on a proposed data center near Warrenville and Naperville roads has been postponed again after dozens of opponents flooded the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Wednesday night.
Developer Karis Critical Member’s plan calls for the construction of 211,000-square-foot, 36-megawatt building on 40 acres of former Alcatel-Lucent site off the Interstate 88, half of what it had initially requested.
The land at 1960 Lucent Lane is zoned for office, research and light industry, a category that includes data centers, but the project needs city variance approval before it can move forward. Russ Whitaker, an attorney representing Karis, has argued the center fits in with the city’s vision for the research and technology corridor that includes his client’s property.
“I think there’s certainly been more residential in the corridor in the last couple years,” Whitaker said Wednesday. “But I think the corridor has to evolve. … It’s going to take some reimagining. It’s going to take uses that are consistent with the future of the economy.”
This artist’s rendering shows what the Karis Critical data center campus could look like if built at 1960 Lucent Lane in Naperville. It’s proposed for the former Alcatel-Lucent property off of the Interstate 88 research and technology corridor. (Karis Critical)
But residents — especially those who will live in the nearby Naper Commons, Fairmeadow, Danada Woods and Indian Hill Woods subdivision — have been pushing back against the plan. A petition circulating online in opposition to the project had more than 3,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.
Attempting to stem opposition, Karis proposed at the commission’s last meeting that it would sign a stewardship pledge in which the company would commit to oversight and accountability, renewable power sourcing, responsible operations, local investment, and environmentally conscious design and operations.
Based on the comments at Wednesday’s meeting, it appeared the pledge did little to sway residents.
More than 40 people voiced their opposition, citing everything from health concerns to property value impact. Some brought their children with them, and one group hired a lawyer to represent their anti-center position.
Sujay Shah, a Naper Commons resident and oncologist, speaks against the proposed data center for the former Alcatel-Lucent site at the Nov. 5 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Shah raised concerns over the impact of the back-up generators on people’s health. (Carolyn Stein/Naperville Sun)
Multiple people cited the 24 back-up diesel generators included as part of the project. They would be tested once a month, with each test taking up to 30 minutes. As outlined in the stewardship pledge, the generators will meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emission standards.
“The EPA has been consistently clear about this: there is no clear level of diesel exposure,” said Sujay Shah, an oncologist and Naper Commons resident. Even with the Tier 4 emission standards, the generators could still pose health threats.
“Adding more of this right next to our neighborhoods and playgrounds is a recipe for more asthma, more heart disease and, yes, more cancer,” Shah said.
Olivia Wallace, another Naper Commons resident, spoke of her grandson, who has a chronic lung disease. She became emotional as she talked about how the generators might affect him.
“I understand this property where the data center is proposed is zoned office, research and light industry, but a data center of this magnitude … is a whole different level of industry,” Wallace said. “Families moved here for peace, clean air and nature. This project doesn’t fit that vision or the spirit of what this community was promised.”
Linda Scotti, a Naper Commons resident, speaks in opposition to the proposed data center at the Nov. 5 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Scotti specifically raised concerns over the impact of noise levels from the proposed data center. (Carolyn Stein/Naperville Sun)
Other concerns related to the noise that could be generated, with opponents arguing that Karis’ noise studies were flawed and do not capture the reality of living near a data center.
“The noise will be detrimental and that is well documented in many noise studies,” said Linda Scotti, a Naper Commons resident who formerly worked as a nurse with noise and hearing expertise.
City staff has said the noise levels expected are compliant with city standards, but they have asked Karis to ensure they are consistent with the Illinois Pollution Control Board standards. Initial findings show that they “appear to comply with the IPCB standards,” staff said.
Noise has been an issue with other data centers in Illinois. In Aurora, residents have complained about sound coming from the CyrusOne data center’s back-up generators. In September, the city put a temporary pause on future data centers and warehouse proposals following an increased number of applications and resident concerns with preexisting facilities.
Whitaker said he sympathized with residents’ concerns but emphasized that “not all data centers are created equal.”
“There was a lot of discussion tonight about health effects, but what I want to emphasize is that risk does not equal hazard,” he said, emphasizing they have incorporated mitigation factors to ensure there are no health risks.
“We respect everyone’s right to an opinion, but we believe it is important to focus on the facts we presented in our testimony, studies and submittal,” a spokesman for Karis said in a written statement following the meeting. “We have designed this facility to responsibly reuse the former Lucent property while prioritizing operational efficiency and stewardship.”
Data centers have popped up across Illinois in recent years as Gov. JB Pritzker has pushed the state to become a major hub for such facilities with programs like the Illinois Data Center Investment Program, in which Karis plans to participate. At the same time, environmental experts have raised concerns about the impact a surge in data centers could have on the Great Lakes region.
The Planning and Zoning Commission will resume its hearing for the project at its Nov. 19 meeting.
cstein@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/06/data-center-naperville-commission-opposition/