Coal City begins review of proposed approximately 320-acre data center campus

Coal City has entered the formal review process for a proposed approximately 320-acre data center campus near Reed and Carbon Hill roads, but the project has not been approved or authorized for construction.

Village records dated July 27 and July 28 show that landowners and Aligned Data Centers submitted an application for a Planned Unit Development, or PUD, along with a map amendment. The Planning and Zoning Board materials describe the current phase as technical review rather than a zoning decision.

What the village is reviewing

The submitted materials call for coordination among a broad group of public agencies and technical reviewers. Those may include Coal City officials, Grundy County, drainage districts, utilities, school districts, emergency responders, engineers and other regulatory agencies.

The review is intended to examine issues associated with the proposal, including drainage, water and utility needs, schools, emergency response, engineering and related infrastructure questions. The village records do not establish that the project would create a confirmed impact in any of those areas. They show that those subjects are part of the review process.

Village Board agenda adds review committee

A July 28 special-meeting agenda for the Village Board includes consideration of membership for a PUD Review Committee. The agenda also addresses obtaining additional professional services as the village evaluates the application.

The agenda identifies proposed actions for the board to consider, but the materials provided do not establish that the committee completed its work or that its final membership and authority were settled. Future meeting records should clarify those details.

Next public-facing opportunity

The Planning and Zoning Board memo identifies an August 6 public information and feedback meeting hosted by the applicant. That meeting should not be confused with a zoning hearing. As of the July 27 memo, no zoning-board public hearing date had been scheduled.

Earlier reporting by Shaw Local and the Coal City Courant identified Aligned Data Centers as the prospective developer and provided background on the proposal, including possible employment, water-use questions and concerns raised by residents. Those earlier points remain part of the project’s public context, not confirmed outcomes.

What remains undecided

The village records do not show zoning approval, construction authorization, final development conditions, a confirmed construction schedule, final infrastructure requirements or established tax, job or utility effects.

For Coal City residents, the immediate questions are procedural: how the review committee is formed, what technical consultants and agencies conclude, whether additional documents are filed, and when the Planning and Zoning Board schedules a public hearing. The August 6 information and feedback meeting is the next identified opportunity for residents to learn more about the submitted proposal.

Sources

• Coal City Planning and Zoning Board memo and agenda, July 27, 2026
• Shaw Local report on proposed Coal City data center open house