URBANA, Champaign County — Community members packed the Urbana Planning Commission meeting on Monday night to express their opposition to a proposed data center.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, the turnout was so large that some attendees were forced to stand in the hallway during the meeting.
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The proposed facility, known as the Urbana Technology Hub, is slated for a site located at State Route 55 and U.S. Route 68.
Planning Commission member Stephanie Truelove stated that discussion of the data center was not on the official agenda for the Tuesday meeting.
However, some residents attended the meeting after noticing a property owner’s name listed on the agenda who had previously sold parcels to developers for the project.
Summer Woodburn, an Urbana resident who lives about a mile from the proposed site, said she made the connection when she saw the name.
Woodburn and her family moved to the area from Florida to live on a farm.
“We wanted to raise our children there and to see that their future is in jeopardy with a data center that are possibly being put less than a mile from our significant property, it’s heartbreaking,” Woodburn said.
Residents suspected a data center was being planned for some time, but the project was not officially announced until a commission meeting last week.
During that meeting, the Urbana City Council reviewed a preliminary plan for the facility and voted 5-2 to withdraw a temporary moratorium on data center development.
Erin Patton, an Urbana business owner, expressed concern regarding the specific location of the facility.
“It’s proposed to be near our school, nursing homes and I just think it’s too risky,” Patton said.
She added that she believes it is her responsibility to speak up for her children and the community when she believes a project is not right for the area.
Both Patton and Woodburn said they believe the city and developers have not been fully transparent with the public.
Woodburn said she and other residents are seeking more clarity on the developments taking place in the town.
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