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Changes to Project Cardinal data center construction order splits Yorkville City Council · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Changes to Project Cardinal data center construction order splits Yorkville
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  Speaker 1: City Council. Written by Joey Weslow, This article is being
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  Speaker 1: read by an automated voice brought to you by Everlett.
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  Speaker 1: After consecutive unanimous approval votes for data center projects in Yorkville,
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  Speaker 1: or several with just one dissenting vote, the rephasing of
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  Speaker 1: the one thousand, thirty four acre Project Cardinal project saw
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  Speaker 1: a more lively vote. The rephasing of the project's fourteen
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  Speaker 1: to two story warehouses comes in the wake of a
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  Speaker 1: litigation settlement between John Bryan, a resident living near the
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  Speaker 1: development site, the city, and the developers, Pioneer Development LLC
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  Speaker 1: and Matt mccarrott. The settlement negotiation required the city approved
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  Speaker 1: the reordering of what buildings will be erected first over
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  Speaker 1: the expected ten to twenty years of construction at the site.
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  Speaker 1: The amendment to the project x p ODD was approved
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  Speaker 1: by the City Council during its July fourteenth meeting. Alderman
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  Speaker 1: Rusty Corneils voted no, as he has on similar data
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  Speaker 1: center project votes. Joining him for the first time was
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  Speaker 1: Alderman Arden Joe Plotcher, who had previously expressed significant support
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  Speaker 1: for data center projects and turning the entire Aldamain Corridor
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  Speaker 1: to industrial Alderman Craig Soling voted present. Alderman Chris Funkhauser
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  Speaker 1: was absent from the vote. Mayor John Purcell and Alderman
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  Speaker 1: Matt Merrick, Dan Transier, Ken Cooke, and Rusty Hyatt all
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  Speaker 1: voted to approve the rephasing amendment, ultimately green lighting the
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  Speaker 1: project again. Contained within the approved amendment for Project Cardinal,
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  Speaker 1: the warehouses will no longer be constructed in a counterclockwise sequence,
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  Speaker 1: beginning in the northeast portion of the property. The initial
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  Speaker 1: p was approved in November twenty twenty five. The western
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  Speaker 1: phase of the project was to come second. Brian's property
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  Speaker 1: is nearest to this portion. Brian Klaim aimed in his
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  Speaker 1: initial lawsuit the project would negatively impact his property values
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  Speaker 1: and quality of life. The approved amendment changes the construction
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  Speaker 1: to a clockwise progression, starting in the northeastern portion moving
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  Speaker 1: to the southeastern portion. According to the settlement, each construction
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  Speaker 1: phase must be substantially complete before workers can begin construction
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  Speaker 1: on the next phase. The construction will then conclude in
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  Speaker 1: the western portion of the site. No other significant changes
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  Speaker 1: to the site plan are included within the approved amendment.
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  Speaker 1: The settlement contains no financial payment from the city to Brian.
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  Speaker 1: Brian could still settle with the developers for a financial sum,
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  Speaker 1: but nothing has been announced. On June twenty third, the
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  Speaker 1: City Council also passed an amendment to the developer's annexation
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  Speaker 1: agreement to allow an eighteen month extension for the developers
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  Speaker 1: to acquire all the titles for the subject property. The
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  Speaker 1: city did not say why the developer is struggling to
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  Speaker 1: close on all the properties, only citing unforeseen circumstances. The
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  Speaker 1: original deadline for the developer to acquire all the parcels
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  Speaker 1: for the project to keep all the city's agreements was
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  Speaker 1: July first. It has now been extended to December thirty first,
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty seven. If the developers cannot close by that date,
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  Speaker 1: the annexation agreement green lighting the whole project would become
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  Speaker 1: null and void. According to city documents, this would put
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  Speaker 1: the entire project at risk of ever being built because
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  Speaker 1: it would also void the PUD, the Utility and Infrastructure Agreement,
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  Speaker 1: and the fifty one million dollars upfront payment Development Agreement.
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  Speaker 1: In addition to Project Cardinal, the city has also approved
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  Speaker 1: the two hundred twenty eight acre Cyrus one Data Center
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  Speaker 1: and the five hundred forty acre Project Steel Data Center.