PEKIN, Ill. – Pekin’s mayor wants to hear from every side regarding a proposed data center in the city.
The proposal on the former Lutticken farm property has received pushback from the community, with an online petition citing increased energy costs and negative environmental impacts.
Mayor Mary Burress tells WMBD’s “Greg and Dan Show” that she welcomes the pushback.
“There’s some negative stuff out there, but there’s some positive as well,” Burress said. “Everyone needs to have their voice heard.”
Burress says the city does not want to do anything to harm the land or community of Pekin. But she claims some of the studies being cited against the proposal were made more than two decades ago, and technology has advanced greatly since then.
25 News reports that a town hall to discuss the proposal could be scheduled for March.
There’s not a lot known about the project at this time, as the city and the company behind the project are both in the middle of yearlong studies. Burress anticipates that firm details could come out within the next 6-7 months.
Pekin’s Director of Economic Development Josh Wray says that doesn’t mean there’s not rough estimates of what the potential economic impact to Pekin could be.
“Back of the napkin type stuff tells me it’s going to be $10-20 million a year in real estate tax revenue that could be generated when the project is done, couple hundred jobs,” Wray said.
Wray says that would not be the only impact. He says there would also be increased demand for housing, and additional sales tax revenue for gas and food.
Burress says if the project is approved, it is expected to take about six years to complete. She says it’s a project that would “put Pekin back on the map.”
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