Sue Data Centers

Data Center Registry

Project Cardinal Data Center Campus

Yorkville, Kendall County, Illinois

PermittedIn litigationAI likelyRecord updated August 3, 2026

Project Cardinal Data Center Campus is a permitted data center in Yorkville, Illinois (Kendall County), operated by Pioneer Development LLC. The public record puts it at 1.8 GW planned, 1,037 acres. It is or has been the subject of litigation over its siting, permitting, or operation.

Every line on this page traces to a public source listed at the bottom. Where a figure was looked for and not found, the row says so. A blank is never a zero.

Facility record

Permitted

Operator
Pioneer Development LLC
Facility type
Data center, AI use likely
Location
Yorkville, Kendall County, IL
Coordinates
41.7000, -88.4610
Power capacity
1.8 GW planned
Land
1,037 acres
Investment
Not established from a public source
Announced
Not established from a public source
Utility
ComEd
Power source
Grid
Cooling
Closed loop
Water use
0.0425 million gallons a day, reported
Jobs
Not established from a public source
Public subsidy
Not established from a public source
Community reception
In litigation
Source confidence
Confirmed by multiple independent sources or official documentation

Timeline from the record

Newest first. Record entries come from the filings and reports the registry cites. Coverage entries are headlines from publisher feeds we monitor daily, linked to the outlet; last checked September 14, 2026.

  1. March 2026
    Permitted
    Yorkville City Council approved annexation, rezoning, utility, and infrastructure agreements 12:51 a.m. March 11 after nearly 6-hour meeting; air-cooled design with daily water use capped at approximately 42,500 gpd Source: Shaw Local / Kendall County Now
  2. 2025
    Proposed
    Pioneer Development LLC submitted annexation, rezoning, and utility applications to City of Yorkville for 1,037-acre, 14-building campus Source: Shaw Local / Kendall County Now

Opposition and litigation at this site

Yes. Project Cardinal Data Center Campus in Yorkville, Kendall County, Illinois is or has been the subject of litigation over its siting, permitting, or operation. Two active lawsuits as of July 2026.

How the community has taken it

Reception is a sourced signal, not an editorial judgment: in litigation means the facility is or has been the subject of a lawsuit related to its siting, permitting, or operation.

Two active lawsuits as of July 2026. (1) John Bryan (filed Oct 28, 2025): a conditional settlement was before the June 23, 2026 City Council, terms limited to a phasing-order revision (NE-SE-W instead of NE-W-SE), no monetary payment to Bryan. (2) Preserve Our Yorkville & Community LLC (filed April 2026): broader suit alleging inadequate annexation/rezoning notice and deviation from the 2016 Comprehensive Plan; still ongoing as of June 30, 2026. Pioneer Development also sought an 18-month extension (to Dec 31, 2027) to close on all parcels, failure voids the annexation agreement. A $51M developer impact-fee package flows FROM the developer TO the city (schools/fire/projects), not a subsidy; no DCEO certification found and Illinois paused its Data Center Investment Program on July 1, 2026.

Source: Yorkville Herald

Power and water

Served by a ComEd substation off Eldamain Road; full power allocation still pending ComEd approval. The annexation agreement prohibits on-site nuclear generation. No confirmed on-site generation.

Air-cooled closed-loop system uses ~42,500 gallons/day (Shaw Local, 2026-03-12), revised down from an original 350,000 gpd proposal; "no municipal water will be used for cooling."

Notes on the record

Coordinates approximate NW of IL Rt 47 and Galena Rd in Yorkville; exact parcel spans ~1,037 acres. 14 two-story buildings at 17 million sq ft total. No confirmed hyperscale tenant named. Companion project 'Project Steel' (Prologis, 540 acres, 24 buildings) also approved in same Yorkville corridor. First data center operational target: 2029.

What the record does not establish, and the document that would

In every fight on our tracker the decisive fact came out of a public records request. These are the requests for this site.

  • Tax abatements or other public subsidy
  • Permanent jobs promised
Which document closes each gap
Tax abatements or other public subsidy
The abatement, PILOT, or development agreement approved by the county, city, or development authority, and the state's data center sales tax exemption certificate if one was issued.
Permanent jobs promised
The economic development application or incentive agreement, which usually states a job commitment and a clawback.

Have one of these documents? Send it to us and we will add it to the record with attribution.

Other sites within 30 miles

Distances are between recorded coordinates, many of which are a city or county centroid, so treat them as approximate. Cumulative load on one utility and one aquifer is the question a planning commission rarely asks.

Questions people ask about this site

Is there opposition to the Project Cardinal Data Center Campus in Yorkville?

Yes. Project Cardinal Data Center Campus in Yorkville, Kendall County, Illinois is or has been the subject of litigation over its siting, permitting, or operation. Two active lawsuits as of July 2026.

Has anyone filed a lawsuit over the Project Cardinal Data Center Campus?

Yes. This site is recorded as being in litigation. The case, the court, and the filings we hold are listed on this page under the timeline and the sources.

How much water does Project Cardinal Data Center Campus use?

0.0425 million gallons a day is the reported figure on record. Cooling is recorded as closed_loop. Air-cooled closed-loop system uses ~42,500 gallons/day (Shaw Local, 2026-03-12), revised down from an original 350,000 gpd proposal; "no municipal water will be used for cooling."

Who operates Project Cardinal Data Center Campus, and how big is it?

Pioneer Development LLC is the operator on record. Capacity on record is 1.8 GW. The site is recorded at 1037 acres.

How to cite this page

SueDataCenters.org Data Center Registry, "Project Cardinal Data Center Campus," updated August 3, 2026, https://suedatacenters.org/data-centers/project-cardinal-yorkville-il.

Facility data from Compute Atlas (E. Kubiak), version 1.32.0 (September 7, 2026), licensed CC BY 4.0, record https://www.compute-atlas.com/facilities/project-cardinal-yorkville-il, retrieved September 14, 2026.

Corrections with a public source are welcome at the Compute Atlas record or through our contact page. The whole registry is available as CSV and JSON under CC BY 4.0.

Sources for this record

As compiled and cited by Compute Atlas, with our own reporting appended. Archived links are used where the original has moved.

  1. 1.Project Cardinal Data Center Campus, City of Yorkville official permit page · City of Yorkville, IL · retrieved July 6, 2026
  2. 2.Yorkville data center approval after nearly 6-hour contentious City Council meeting · Shaw Local / Kendall County Now · retrieved July 6, 2026
  3. 3.Yorkville residents file lawsuit to halt Project Cardinal data center · Shaw Local / Kendall County Now · retrieved July 6, 2026
  4. 4.Yorkville data-center approval after nearly 6-hour council meeting · Shaw Local / Kendall County Now · retrieved July 6, 2026
  5. 5.Project Cardinal Data Center Campus Annexation · United City of Yorkville · retrieved July 6, 2026
  6. 6.Yorkville council to consider settlement in Project Cardinal lawsuit · Yorkville Herald · retrieved July 6, 2026
  7. 7.Illinois Data Center Boom: $20B+ Approved in Two Weeks · PoweredByWho · retrieved August 3, 2026
  8. 8.Which Illinois town approved what could be the state's largest data center? · Yahoo News · retrieved August 3, 2026

Is a data center disrupting your home?

Tell us what is happening. We will connect you with an independent attorney who handles data center cases in your state, free and with no obligation. These cases are commonly taken on contingency, so there are typically no upfront fees.

  • Free case review
  • Independent attorneys
  • No obligation
Get my free case reviewDo I even have a case?

Attorney or law firm handling data center matters? Speak with us