Grayslake Village Issues First Permit for $18 B Data-Centre Campus Amid Resident Pushback
Grayslake approved an initial permit for an 800,000-sq-ft data-centre, the first phase of an $18 billion campus, while nearby residents say they were blindsided.
Grayslake, Illinois, issued its inaugural building permit for an 800,000-square-foot data-centre, marking the start of T5 Data Centres’ Cornerstone development that may involve up to $18 billion in private capital and cover roughly 473 acres. The phased project envisions up to 6.7 million square feet of data-centre space over the next decade, with the village estimating about $1.4 billion in property-tax revenue over 20 years.
Nearby residents, including Rob Baum and Hannah Harris, say they were unaware of the project's magnitude until approvals were already in place and have voiced worries about water consumption, power demand, noise, and wetland impacts, prompting a lawsuit and the formation of the Lake County Data Centre Opposition Coalition. T5’s CEO Pete Marin stressed ongoing community engagement, noting the company’s voluntary withdrawal of a wetlands-remediation application after resident feedback and its commitment to fund required electrical infrastructure.
Village officials emphasize that the project proceeds without tax incentives and remains subject to local, state and federal environmental regulations. The first building will serve as a test of the promised safeguards and the community’s expectations.
Why it matters
The project could transform Grayslake’s tax base and environment, illustrating tensions between large tech investments and local community input.
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