Naperville still has no dedicated rules governing data centers, seven months after the City Council rejected the only proposal to reach a vote. On Monday, Oct. 19, residents can hear how a neighboring city filled that same gap.
Sustain Naperville, the community environmental group also known as NEST, is bringing two Aurora officials to Nichols Library at 6:30 p.m. to walk through Aurora's new data center regulations, which city attorneys have called the most restrictive in Illinois. Alison Lindburg, Aurora's director of sustainability, and Tracey Vacek, Aurora's planning and zoning director, will cover the city's 180-day moratorium, noise limits, cooling restrictions, energy requirements and annual reporting mandates.
The timing matters. The council voted 6-1 on Jan. 20 to reject Karis Critical's proposed data center at the former Nokia campus near Naperville and Warrenville roads, with Mayor Scott Wehrli and Councilman Nate Wilson abstaining. That was a one-off conditional-use decision, not a policy framework. The city still has no special standards for data center noise, water use or energy consumption.
Meanwhile, Karis Critical was exploring the 168-acre former BP/INEOS campus at 150 W. Warrenville Road as recently as June for a possible data center and manufacturing hub, according to the Chicago Tribune. Wehrli said in June that any new data center proposal along the I-88 corridor would face heavy scrutiny: "Obviously, we saw that in the last proposal and I think anything that gets promoted in that space is going to bear a high degree of attention."
What Aurora did
Aurora placed its moratorium in September 2025 after residents near the CyrusOne facility on Diehl Road reported noise from backup generators running continuously during a transformer failure. The Chicago Tribune reported that the City Council voted in March to adopt strict new standards:
- Noise capped at 56 decibels during the day, 46 at night, with continuous monitoring
- Roof-mounted chillers banned within 1,500 feet of homes, schools or hospitals
- Ground-mounted chillers and backup generators pushed at least 1,000 feet from those uses
- Evaporative cooling with drinking water prohibited
- On-site renewable energy generation covering 25% of peak demand, battery storage, or renewable energy credit purchases required
- Annual public reports on power, water, noise and biometric data storage required of all data centers, including existing ones
Aurora Corporation Counsel Yordana Wysocki called the package "the most restrictive zoning ordinance in Illinois for sure, and very much so among those nationwide," according to Chicago Tribune coverage of the planning commission's recommendation.
Lindburg told NPR Illinois in March that the moratorium gave staff time "to understand what the best practices were about data centers and to really listen to the public about their concerns."
Why Naperville residents should pay attention
Data centers now consume 5.4% of Illinois' electricity, and demand is projected to grow 133% by 2030. ComEd customers saw a 12% jump in electric costs in June. At least six counties and nine cities across Illinois have approved moratoriums or new regulations, according to the Chicago Tribune.
NEST called for a six-month Naperville moratorium in October 2025. Councilman Ian Holzhauer said in October 2025 that he could support "a temporary pause that's clearly defined, aimed at setting a fair, transparent standard." No formal moratorium or regulatory framework has advanced to a council vote since.
The Oct. 19 meeting is free and open to the public. Nichols Library is at 200 W. Jefferson Ave. Residents can RSVP through Sustain Naperville's website.
City Hall week ahead
No Naperville City Council meeting, Planning and Zoning Commission hearing, or Park District board meeting on data center policy is confirmed scheduled for the week of Aug. 25. The next confirmed civic event on this topic is the Oct. 19 NEST meeting at Nichols Library.
