Construction work stopped at data center site in Lisle

Lisle building officials have halted construction at a data center that has been in existence since 2015.

While proper permits were secured for interior remodeling work at the Centersquare data center, located at 4513 Western Ave. in Lisle, permits for exterior work were not approved.

Village staff visited the site on Monday after receiving a call from a resident raising concerns about the construction work, said Mike Smetana, Lisle’s development services director. The work was stopped after village staff observed construction crews placing chillers and generator units on the exterior of the building without proper permits, Smetana said.

On Feb. 6, Centersquare applied for a permit for an exterior fuel cell installation to add 19,500 kilowatts of power to the data center. However, the permit had not yet been approved, Smetana said, adding it typically takes about two weeks to review permits.

Centersquare's 15-megawatt data center spans about 190,000 square feet, according to the company’s website.

By comparison, Cloud Centers LLC proposed a 256,000 square-foot, 50-megawatt data center on the shuttered Lockformer site. A public hearing on that proposal was delayed last month due to the size of the crowd.

In all, Centersquare has applied for 11 permits. Nine, which involved interior work, were approved. Two, including the one for the exterior fuel cell installation, were not. The other, an application for interior work in November, was denied because it involved exterior work, Smetana said.

Work stoppage notices were placed on the job site.

The company will have to pay double the permit costs as a fine for doing work without a permit when it applies for a new permit, Smetana said.

Neighbors in a nearby subdivision said construction work on the property has been ongoing for months. However, it seemed to increase in recent months. This past weekend, crews brought in cranes to lift some of the equipment being installed on the property, according to the neighbors.

According to Smetana, the property is zoned for industrial use, which allows for data centers. Any exterior work must meet the village’s zoning code to obtain proper permitting.

Attempts to reach a representative for Centersquare were unsuccessful Monday afternoon.