By Stephanie Irvine

With plans to be on the Joliet Plan Commission agenda in March, the developers of the proposed Joliet Technology Center held a well-attended open house Thursday, Feb. 12, at Joliet Junior College’s Main Campus.

Hillwood, a Perot company, and its partner, PowerHouse Data Centers, intend to develop a 795-acre site for a 24-building, 1.8 GW data center campus called the Joliet Technology Center.

The site is currently zoned for agriculture and is in unincorporated Jackson Township. Hillwood intends to pursue rezoning and annexation into the City of Joliet for the project.

Originally scheduled before the Joliet City Plan Commission in October 2025, Hillwood pulled the project from the agenda. Almost immediately after word spread about the proposed data center campus, community members began organizing online to oppose it, fearing negative impacts on water, electricity, and the environment.

“We needed more information that we could share with the community and with the city. We wanted to make sure we could answer all the questions in a very transparent and succinct way, and I felt like we needed more time,” Hillwood’s Executive Vice President Don Schoenheider said of the reasoning for the postponement.

They’re still working on the annexation agreement, but the hope is it will be ready for the plan commission’s March 5 meeting, and if approved, the next city council meeting.

The property is located off Bernhard and Schweitzer Roads, near the NASCAR race track, on the other side of Illinois 53 from the CenterPoint intermodal yards, and near several distribution warehouses.

Schoenheider called it the “perfect location” for a data center due to its proximity to power lines.

Over a hundred people flowed through the auditorium at Joliet Junior College, set up with stations displaying informational posters around the perimeter of the room.

“Just like neighbors, we’re here to learn. We’re fielding questions, so I’m making sure I’m informed,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, who attended the open house with her staff.

Representatives from Hillwood, PowerHouse, and other partners, including ComEd and engineering groups, were poised to address key issues related to water and electricity usage, environmental impact and more.

“The focus is to provide information. We’re trying to be transparent and are eager to do this,” Schoenheider explained of the open house.

Although Hillwood and PowerHouse plan to develop the site, they don’t yet know its end user. They’ve been in talks with dozens who would customize the project to their needs, though, Schoenheider said.

Not knowing the end user, however, meant that many residents’ questions went unanswered, as details of the development were not yet finalized.

Joliet resident Rita Renwick expressed concerns about what would happen if the data center failed, and wondered if it would become warehouses.

“They don’t have answers,” Renwick said. “They don’t know who would use it,” she added, noting she wanted to know what type of data would be stored there and said the project was “very undefined.”

She wanted to know if they would monitor electricity consumption, pollution, and whether they would share it with the public, but came away not knowing the answer.

Joliet resident Justin Burgess says he has seen many concerns come to fruition in other communities where data centers have developed, and feared it would happen in Joliet, too.

“I talked to the representative in acoustics, and he couldn’t say how loud it would be. He had no clue and just referenced the state laws. There’s just no answers,” Burgess added.

He said he was left feeling so passionately against the project that he vowed to actively campaign against anyone on city council who voted in favor of it.

Although Hillwood intended to inform, several others said they left with more questions than answers.

“They’re really not sure about the impact on the community,” Joliet resident Betsy Satcher said. She is also part of the Joliet East and Southeast Regional Alliance community group.

“We want to know what’s coming in our community, the impact on the residents,” Satcher said. She added that it looked good on paper, but wasn’t sure of how it would truly affect those who live in the area.

Residents weren’t the only ones frustrated by a lack of concrete answers.

State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, attended the open house to learn more about the project.

“They won’t answer specifics — it’s all theoretical. The closed-loop system for water is better, but I heard different answers on usage, from 100,000 gallons to 2.6 million gallons over five years. They might use coolants, might not,” Ventura said.

“This is just another dog and pony show,” Ventura said, adding that at this point, she hopes City Council will vote no on the project.

Another Joliet resident, Patrick Rielly, shared concerns about what type of data would be stored at the data center — an unknown for developers because they haven’t confirmed the user.

“I have a lot of concerns about privacy. Can we really trust what they’re going to do? It’s a tremendous use of power and energy,” Rielly shared. He also expressed concerns about water, and how much water Lake Michigan has to expend.

The lack of answers didn’t deter everyone, and not everyone in attendance opposed the project.

There was a strong union labor presence, as evidenced by the illuminated union truck parked in the college’s parking lot, displaying a welcome message to arriving drivers.

“I don’t see any negatives,” said Doc Gregory, President of the Building Trades Local 150. “The Bernhards chose to sell; they can’t farm it. It’s along the power lines. We feel it’s a great project.”

Gregory confirmed Hillwood agreed to use all union labor for the project’s construction, creating 8,600 construction jobs over six to eight years. He added that there would be more than 700 well-paying jobs when construction was complete.

“I’d rather see a data center than an intermodal because of the huge truck traffic problems. And we’re all guilty of using data,” Gregory added.

Schoenheider said if the site were to be developed for warehouses, it could fit 7 million square feet, generating 3,000 trips per day in truck traffic.

Scores of union tradespeople gathered inside to show their support, wearing clothing that displayed their union affiliation.

“I feel good about what I’ve heard. People have valid concerns, but the more open and transparent they are, the better people feel,” Bertino-Tarrant said

While there were clear proponents and opponents in attendance, some attendees had mixed feelings about the project.

“I’m conflicted,” Joliet resident Renee Ronzone said.

She’s conscientious about environmental impacts but was relieved to hear the developer said they’d use native species and dark-sky lighting to avoid disrupting birds’ migratory paths.

Despite the positives, she has family two miles south of the development, and this project will be the “nail in the coffin” that pushes them to sell the family home. That home has a lot of history and memories, and still has a child’s growth chart on the wall, Ronzone said.

“I was originally against the project, and somewhat against anything changing, but I’m trying to make peace with it. I’m grateful it’s not more warehouses,” Ronzone said.

She supports and respects her family’s decision, though still very conflicted about the development, she added.

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.

Joliet resident Renee Ronzone speaks with PowerHouse Data Center representative Mihuel Garcia at the Joliet Technology Center open house. (Photos by Stephanie Irvine)

The open house for the proposed data center for Joliet drew a large crowd looking for answers. But some said they still had more questions. (Photos by Stephanie Irvine)

Rendering provided