Joliet Technology Center (Rowell and Bernhard roads)
Also called: Hillwood / PowerHouse Joliet campus
Hillwood and PowerHouse plan 24 two-story data center buildings on 795 acres of farmland on Joliet's east side, using up to 1,800 megawatts. They say it costs $20 billion and the first building could open in 2028. Neighbors are suing.
Where things stand: City Council approved annexation and zoning 8-1 on March 19, 2026. A residents' group sued in May 2026 to undo the vote.
🕒 Latest update (May 18, 2026): A residents' group (Joliet Residents For Responsible Growth) sued the city, saying the public notice and meeting broke the law.
What we know
- 📍 WhereNear Rowell and Bernhard roads, east of Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Will County
- 🏢 CompanyHillwood and PowerHouse Data Centers
- 🌳 Size795 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs1,800 megawatts (about as much as 1,440,000 homes)
- 💵 Cost$20 billion
- 💸 Tax breaksDevelopers offered a community package of up to $100 million. City projects about $310 million in property taxes over 30 years.
- 👷 Jobs promised700
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- How much water will the campus use per day, and from where? 🙋 I'll find out
- Which company will use the data centers? 🙋 I'll find out
- How did the court rule on the residents' lawsuit? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will there be diesel backup generators, and how many? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- March 19, 2026Joliet City Council voted 8-1 to annex and approve the 795-acre campus.
- May 18, 2026A residents' group (Joliet Residents For Responsible Growth) sued the city, saying the public notice and meeting broke the law.
Local votes and rules
⚖️ Court case
A residents' group, Joliet Residents For Responsible Growth, sued the city and the developers to undo the data center approval. They say the public notice was unclear, a March meeting broke the Open Meetings Act, and rezoning the farmland was unconstitutional.
✅ Approved
City council voted 8-1 for an annexation deal for a 795-acre data center campus near Rowell and Bernhard roads in Jackson Township. Developers are Hillwood and PowerHouse Data Centers; it could reach 1.8 gigawatts. Developers offered up to $100 million for city streets and services.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Hillwood, PowerHouse advance $20B Joliet data campus · Data Center Frontier · 2026
- City council approves plans for Joliet data center near Bernhard and Rowell · ABC7 Chicago · March 2026
- Lawsuit challenges zoning, approval process for Joliet data center · Shaw Local (The Herald-News) · May 26, 2026
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