Grayslake getting the word out on data center project and what the property tax proceeds can mean
As construction proceeds on the first component of the T5 data center campus in Grayslake, village officials have stepped up efforts to explain how and why the massive project came to be and how the community would benefit from the property tax revenue it would generate.
This week, the village posted a YouTube video narrated by Mayor Elizabeth Davies accompanied by detailed slides. In addition, an online survey will ask residents what they would like to see in a community recreation center that could be built with additional property tax revenue from the data center campus.
The village recently updated its FAQ about the T5 data center campus and sent postcards directing people to that source. Fliers distributed at village board meetings have QR codes for anyone interested to access the information or ask questions, Davies said.
“We are still listening,” she says on the video. “Public comment always helps us do our job better and helps us make sure we are looking at and investigating the things that you guys want us to throughout this whole process.”
Davies intended to give the presentation at a special public meeting in August, but the event was canceled by the College of Lake County due to security concerns.
“We’re just trying to make sure people have information,” she said this week.
In the 23-minute video released earlier this week on YouTube and linked on the village's Facebook page, Davies discusses the village’s need for non-residential sources of property tax and the lengthy history of the Cornerstone business park property along Peterson Road west of Route 83.
She also details the public zoning and review processes for development of the controversial T5 project on the site and various aspects of the project, including water and electricity use, sound, emissions and wetlands.
Village actions involving T5 are facing a legal challenge from opponents, who want the work stopped, village approvals invalidated and development agreements voided. The village has filed a motion to dismiss the suit.
Michael Smith, chair and co-founder of Lake County Data Center Opposition Coalition, which is backing the lawsuit, described the village’s publicity push as being after the fact “while failing miserably, and the community-supported lawsuit contends purposely, to properly inform and engage with the public before and during their 8+ month voting life-cycle.”
Davies in the video and in her message in the October newsletter said that, besides tax relief, the village wants to select projects to pursue with the data center tax dollars that improve the quality of life and raise property values.
Zack Smith, associate village manager, said the village will be surveying residents regarding what they would like to see in a recreation facility. The village is studying the feasibility, scope, design and potential partnerships and locations for a recreation center.
Information presented in the video estimates that $1.4 billion in new tax revenue will be available to taxing bodies over 20 years, with $100 million a year to be shared among various taxing bodies at full build out.
Foundation work on the first data center building, an 800,000-square-foot structure, is underway. A permit was issued Thursday, and work is expected to start shortly on the electrical facility to be used by the buildings on the site, Smith said.
mzawislak@dailyherald.com