Mount Prospect officials say the table is being set for construction of a $2.5 billion data center on the former United Airlines headquarters site.
Village Manager Michael Cassady said construction on a ComEd substation at Dempster Street and Linneman Road will provide power to the CloudHQ data center across the street once complete by June.
That will enable CloudHQ to line up clients.
“Until you can show the hyperscaler industry that you’ve got power, they’re not willing to sign leases,” Cassady said.
Meanwhile, the village board at Tuesday’s meeting is expected to approve a maximum $60,000 contract for lobbying services with Mac Strategies Group.
Former state Sen. Matt Murphy will be working in Springfield on behalf of the village. One of the issues the village is seeking help with is the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, otherwise known as BIPA. This legislation would affect data center operations like CloudHQ.
“CloudHQ is one of the data center developers that are very concerned,” Cassady said.
BIPA regulates the way private companies use such biometric information as fingerprints and facial scans. It requires them to obtain written consent from individuals before collecting their biometric data.
The central case involving BIPA was a class-action lawsuit against White Castle claiming the restaurant chain improperly scanned and stored employee fingerprints without their permission. A federal judge in Illinois recently approved a $9.39 million settlement.
Murphy argues data centers are merely a storage site.
“The issue for data center development is pretty significant statewide,” Murphy said.
Other states could have a competitive advantage over Illinois because of BIPA, he said.
Utility work is underway on Linneman Road in conjunction with the construction of a ComEd substation in Mount Prospect.
Steve Zalusky/[email protected]