Brennan Investment Group has withdrawn its plans to implement a $2 billion data center campus outside Illinois. The data center was previously planned to be developed in Barrington Hills, on land south of Penny Road and west of Pond Gate Drive.

The firm has decided to withdraw its application following criticism and negative feedback from local residents of the area. Moreover, they announced that they would not be advancing the project based on this in a public presentation. A Facebook post from the Village of Barrington Hills, stated:

“Based on initial feedback, the developer for a possible data center in the Village of Barrington Hills has decided not to go forward with a presentation at the informational Plan Commission meeting. On this basis, the Village also noted that it considers the matter closed and does not anticipate any further discussions on it.

Reasons for Criticism behind the Brennan Data Center Campus outside Illinois

Details about the scope and implementation of the Brennan data center campus outside illinois were sparse. However, with the investment and anticipated scale of the project, a Change.org petition was launched against the developer. The petition said regarding the proposed data center: “This massive project threatens to disrupt our environment, jeopardize our water resources, and violate our village codes.”

There were also concerns noted about air pollution, water quality, and a violation of other village codes. At the time of writing, the petition had garnered 1,560 signatures, showing the level of resentment behind it. The project adds up on the list of other data center projects across the U.S. that have been cancelled recently. Brennan is also behind data center developments in Elk Grove Village and Rolling Meadows in Illinois.

The majority of data centers in Illinois are located in and around Chicago and Aurora. Barrington Hills is located around 40 miles northwest of Chicago. Two data centers around Chicago have faced obstacles to development this year alone.

Project Overview

• Developer: Brennan Investment Group.
• Investment Value: $2 billion
• Place: Barrington Hills, Illinois, south of Penny Road, and west of Pond Gate Drive.
• Chicago distance: approximately 40 miles northwest.
• Status: Withdrawn / Cancelled

Project Background

• Proposed campus of data centers on a large scale.
• Little information published on scope and design.
• Intended to add to Brennan’s Illinois data center portfolio

Withdrawal Decision

• Application was pulled off after extensive community denunciation by the developer.
• Planned presentation cancellation on Village informational Plan Commission meeting.
• Village of Barrington Hills takes the issue as closed.
• No additional consultations envisaged.

Community Opposition

• Petition against project opened on Change.org.

Petition cited:

• Environmental disruption
• Water resource concerns
• Air pollution risks
• Supposed breaches of village codes.
• Petition obtained 1,560 signatures so far

Broader Industry Context

• Tackles to list of increasing U.S. data center project cancellations.
• Various Chicago-based data center plans have been cancelled in 2026.