After pausing new proposals, Aurora, Illinois, has changed how it regulates data centers, responding to residents’ concerns about noise, water consumption, and electricity demand while closing a zoning gap that had allowed the facilities to move forward under warehouse rules.
What happened?
According to WGLT, Aurora enacted new data center rules on March 24. The move came after a 180-day freeze on new applications that started in September 2025, and officials said the city’s 10 existing data centers had previously been reviewed through warehouse zoning because Aurora’s code did not clearly define the facilities.
That route is no longer available, Aurora sustainability director Alison Lindburg said. WGLT reported that future projects must seek conditional-use approval, which brings public hearings, City Council approval, and notice to nearby residents.
WGLT also reported that developers now have to submit water-use studies, energy management plans, and sound assessments before winning approval. Lindburg said, as quoted by WGLT, the rules cap water-use effectiveness at 0.2, ban evaporative cooling, and require either on-site renewables covering a quarter of peak demand or batteries able to supply half of peak demand for 15 minutes…