Opposition Mounts as ‘Project Steel’ Data Center Proposal Comes Before Yorkville City Council
Project Steel, a massive data center campus proposed by Prologis, is on the agenda for the Yorkville City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
The project is one of several large scale data center developments proposed for Yorkville as part of a broader push to establish the area as a major data infrastructure corridor. Spanning roughly 540 acres along Eldamain Road, Project Steel has been revised to include approximately 18 buildings totaling nearly 9 million square feet, along with substations and other supporting infrastructure.
Image: United City of Yorkville. “Project Steel Data Center Campus (Annex Agreement, Rezone, Preliminary PUD & PUD).” United City of Yorkville Official Website, Case No. 2025‑07, https://www.yorkville.il.us/905/Project-Steel-Data-Center-Campus-Annex-A , Accessed March 23, 2026.
Moving the project forward will require a series of coordinated approvals. These include an annexation agreement and ordinance to bring the property into Yorkville’s city limits, rezoning to M-2 General Manufacturing, and approval of a Planned Unit Development. Additional agreements covering utilities, infrastructure, and overall development terms between the city and the developer are also needed. Together, these actions would establish the zoning and infrastructure framework for what could become one of the largest data center campuses in the region.
Public opposition has been building for months. A lawsuit was filed, and residents submitted notices, affidavits, petitions, and voiced concerns during lengthy, often heated public comment sessions. Key issues include potential noise from equipment and backup generators, light pollution, environmental impacts, and possible effects on property values, particularly given that construction could take years to complete. A recent meeting in early March drew a large crowd and lasted nearly six hours.
City officials have generally emphasized that the land is already designated for industrial use and argue that data centers may be less disruptive than other types of industrial development. Still, debate over the proposal remains active and, at times, contentious.
As opposition continues to grow and organize, the decisions made at Tuesday’s City Council meeting will not only determine the fate of Project Steel but also signal the broader direction of Yorkville’s future growth, and how much influence community resistance will have in shaping it.
You can view the Tuesday, March 24, 2026, meeting agenda here.
City Council Meeting
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
7:00 p.m.
City Hall Council Chambers
651 Prairie Pointe Drive, Yorkville, IL 60560
