Construction is now underway on the opening phase of a sprawling data center campus in Grayslake, Illinois, after village officials issued the first building permit for the Cornerstone development, authorizing an 800,000-square-foot structure that marks the beginning of what T5 Data Centres projects will become a USD 18 billion private investment over the next decade.

But as shovels move on Peterson Road, a growing coalition of neighbors is contesting whether the community was ever properly informed.

Community Engagement Around the Project

The proposed Cornerstone project has drawn attention from residents in the surrounding area, with community discussions focusing on the development’s scale and its potential impact on the locality.

Residents have raised questions about the project’s planning and approval process, as well as its potential implications for water use, electricity demand, noise, environmental conditions, and wetlands surrounding the site.

Community members have also participated in local meetings and discussions as the project progresses through the approval and development process. These discussions reflect broader community interest in understanding the project’s infrastructure requirements, environmental considerations, and potential effects on the surrounding area.

The Scale of What Is Being Built

The Cornerstone development is planned along Peterson Road in Grayslake and is led by T5 Data Centres. Village documents show the current plans call for approximately 6.7 million square feet of data center space to be constructed over a period of seven to ten years.

Earlier approvals had permitted an even larger footprint, allowing for up to roughly 473 acres and as much as 10.1 million square feet of development.

Village officials have described the issuance of the initial building permit as the operational start of the multibillion-dollar campus.

The first structure alone will encompass 800,000 square feet, establishing the foundation for what is envisioned as one of the largest data center campuses in the region.

T5 Defends Its Community Engagement

T5 Data Centres has indicated that community input is being considered as the project progresses. The company has worked with the local village on measures related to wetlands and is also collaborating on standards covering noise levels, water use, and electricity consumption throughout the development.

The Economic Case Village Officials Are Making

Village officials and the developer have both anchored their support for the project in its projected financial contribution to the area.

According to figures provided by the village, the campus is expected to generate approximately USD 1.4 billion in property tax and permit-fee revenue across its first twenty years of operation, a figure consistent with T5's own projections.

Officials have also stressed that the project is proceeding without local tax incentives, exemptions, or tax-increment financing subsidies. The revenue generated, they noted, could be directed toward infrastructure, parks, trails, schools, and other community needs.

Grayslake currently operates with a balanced budget and carries no municipal debt, officials said.

Water, Power, and Environmental Oversight

The Cornerstone project is arriving as data centers across the United States face intensifying scrutiny over their demands on electricity grids and water supplies, a trend driven in part by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and the computing infrastructure it requires. Village officials said the campus will rely on closed-loop cooling systems.

Their estimates indicate that an average individual data center building within the campus would consume approximately 2,500 to 3,500 gallons of water per day.

Across the full 6.75-million-square-foot campus, the village estimates total water consumption at approximately 50,000 gallons per day. On the power side, T5 is expected to fund the electrical infrastructure the campus requires, including the construction of a dedicated electrical substation on the property.

Village officials have been explicit that the issuance of the building permit does not relieve the project of its obligations under environmental or other regulatory frameworks as construction proceeds.