Village of Barrington Hills board members (l-r) JC Clarke, Laura AB Ekstrom, Brian Cecola, Marsha McClary, David Riff and Jessica Hoffmann. Not pictured: Thomas Strauss.
On December 22, 2025, the Observer posted an article: “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board.” If you’ve not read the post, please do so before proceeding.
There are some points we should have included but didn’t because of our desire to post before the holiday. Those added points include:
- Anyone, whether a Village resident or not, is allowed to make Public Comment at the beginning of Board meetings. The Board rules have limited these Public Comments to three (3) minutes (see December 15, 2025, Agenda & Notice of Meeting: “Be advised that public comment at the meeting is limited to three (3) minutes per person…”). There were no public comments that evening.
- The twenty (20) minute “110 Acre AI data center” pitch was made following Agenda Item 6.1, Planning, 29 minutes into the meeting and well after Public Comment concluded. As such, no procedural rule limited the guest speaker’s time.
- The “110 Acre AI data center” pitch was not identified anywhere on the December 15th In fact, just prior to the guest speaker’s introduction by President Cecola as a guest who “we invited to come speak,” the Planning Committee Chair reported that the Plan Commission had not met and she had nothing to report. (The Zoning Committee Chair similarly reported that the Zoning Board had not met and she had nothing to report.)
The Minutes from the December 15th meeting, which were approved and voted on unanimously by the Board at the January 26th meeting, summarize the twenty (20) minute “110 Acre AI data center” pitch” as follows:
We have no doubt a significant amount of extra time, expense effort was devoted to this since the Observer provided residents a heads up in its article 110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board, and, before the December minutes were approved, the Village posted what follows on its Facebook Page and Website on January 16th:
“Special Plan Commission Meeting to Welcome Resident Input
For the Consideration of a Possible Data Center Development
A data center developer has approached the Village regarding a large property within the Village, at the edge of its southwest boundary (see figures A & B). As an informational step, the developer provided a brief overview presentation to the Board of Trustees at its December 15, 2025, meeting. The PDF of the presentation may be viewed by following this link:
During the presentation, the developer stated that, if a data center were ultimately built, the Village would experience a significant financial impact, including increased annual utility tax revenue in the millions for the Village and a reduction in residents’ property tax contributions. The developer estimated that the site’s property tax could increase from approximately $3,000 annually to as much as $20 million annually after reaching full operation. These figures were presented by the developer and have not been independently reviewed or verified by the Village.
A data center is not a use contemplated in the Village’s Comprehensive Plan. The Board of Trustees believes that any consideration of such a proposal should begin with a public information session and meaningful input from its residents.
Importantly, no decisions have been made, and the Village is not endorsing or approving a data center development. At this time, the Village is seeking resident input. As a preliminary and exploratory step, the Board has asked the developer to make a public presentation at a Special Meeting of the Plan Commission.
Residents are encouraged to attend the presentation at a Special Meeting of the Plan Commission:
Monday, February 2, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
Countryside Elementary School
205 W. County Line Road
Barrington Hills, IL 60010
Questions or comments before or after the meeting may be submitted to datacenter@vbhil.gov.
The primary purpose of this meeting is to allow the developer to present its concept and potential benefits, and to give residents and the Plan Commission an opportunity to share their initial thoughts, questions, and concerns regarding whether the Village should consider this type of development.
Following the presentation, the Commission and members of the public will have the opportunity to make comments and ask questions. It is expected that many questions will require additional review and follow-up. Any responses would be provided at a future meeting or through other forms of communication.
If, after the presentation and public input, it is determined that the Village is willing to consider the proposal, the Village would then work to define a transparent process that will include additional opportunities for public engagement. The structure and scope of any such process have not yet been determined. The developer has committed to covering the costs associated with the review process, including the Village’s use of outside consultants, facilities, or experts, as such reviews may occur.”
The Village Website doesn’t allow for comments or sharing, but their Facebook post was commented on 56 times and shared 44 times.
With all of this unexpectedly hitting the fan for the most part in less than a month, one might assume many residents would appear at the January 26, 2026, Board of Trustees meeting. Well, they did.
In our next post we’ll share what those residents had to say.
Related: “7 things to know about Illinois data centers,” “Data Center group concerned over pause,” “110 Acre AI data center campus pitched to Village Board”
