Data center approvals in Village of Elk Grove Village, IL

Updated October 2026

Data centers are allowed by right where the district permits them, subject to use-specific standards, so the risk sits in the standards and the site plan, not a hearing. Hearings: Plan Commission → Village Board of Trustees.

What the timeline looks like

working days; estimates from the published process unless noted. Village-published review service levels (5 business days zoning, 10 working days plan review) underpin the site plan and permit figures; the discretionary figure is an estimate from the 2023 Stream docket pace (Plan Commission to Board agenda in about three weeks) with notice lead time and one continuance. Annexation (60 days, veto) and the 90-day appeal window (64 working days) are separate classes.

What slows projects here

• Data centers are allowed by right where the district permits them, subject to use-specific standards, so the risk sits in the standards and the site plan, not a hearing.
• Data centers are listed as a permitted use in the ITC, I-1 and I-2 districts in the City of Aurora's March 2026 municipal comparison (secondary); the Zoning District Use Table in § 7-4 of the Village's Zoning Ordinance was not read on either pass, so by-right status is unverified. Bulk rules read from Table 7.1 (Oct 31, 2026): I-1 FAR 0.8, ground coverage 80%, height 45 ft within 200 ft of R-zoned land, 60 ft beyond 200 ft (special use for more than 60 ft within 1,000 ft of R-zoned land), 100 ft beyond 1,000 ft; I-2 100 ft / FAR 2.0; ITC 375 ft / FAR 0.50 per level. In practice campuses come in by annexation of unincorporated township land with rezoning to I-1, variations from Table 7.1 (Ord. 3831, Stream campus: height 60 to 120 ft, FAR 0.8 to 2.0), and a special use for the on-site substation; the Plan Commission (sitting as Zoning Commission) holds the statutory hearing and the Village Board decides (65 ILCS 5/11-13-1.1, 11-13-14). Fire-district service agreements have delayed annexations (Stream, 2023).
• Notice rules are a veto point: Newspaper notice not more than 30 nor less than 15 days before the hearing, with street address and PIN of each parcel; a written protest by owners of 20% of the affected frontage forces a two-thirds Board vote; annexation agreements need a Board hearing with the same notice window and a two-thirds vote of trustees holding office. (65 ILCS 5/11-13-14 (amendments); 65 ILCS 5/11-13-1.1 with 11-13-6 and 11-13-7 (special uses); 65 ILCS 5/11-15.1-3 (annexation agreements)). A defective notice can void an approval after the fact.
• Stream Data Centers, Roppolo Drive / Dierking Terrace / Richard Lane (55 unincorporated parcels): Plan Commission docket 23-7, Aug 21, 2023, unanimously recommended rezoning to I-1 with variations (height 60 to 120 ft, FAR 0.8 to 2.0, loading, 8-ft fence) and a special use for the substation; annexation held up by the Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District service dispute; Ord. 3826 annexed and zoned 700 Roppolo Dr I-1 on annexation and Ord. 3831 approved the 4-lot campus (3 data center lots, 1 substation lot) with the substation special use and the variations.
• WGN / Nexstar transmitter site, 720 Rohlwing Rd (about 102 acres, unincorporated Schaumburg Township): Village Board approved annexation with a 16-page pre-annexation agreement, zoning and a special use permit in Aug 2026 over neighbor opposition (Daily Herald, Aug 14, 2026).
• Prime Data Centers, 1600 E Higgins Rd: Illinois EPA construction permit 24090003 for 39 x 3,250 kW emergency generators, received Sept 3, 2024, issued July 15, 2025 (10.5 months) with federally enforceable limits (35 hr/yr per unit) and an IEPA EJ / Title VI review memo; earlier 1600 Oakton St rezoning B-2 to I-1 and plat for Prime's Campus EGV (2021).

What to do about it

• Run the utility large-load study, the state air permit and the land-use approval in parallel from day one; they are separate authorities and nothing requires them in sequence.
• Lock the generator count, size, tier and classification before filing: a density change reopens the air permit, the noise study and the utility load letter together.
• Treat every statutory notice as a checklist with evidence (advertisement text and dates, mailing receipts, posted signs) reviewed by counsel against the statute in force on the hearing date.
• Carry the 90-day appeal window after the approval on the schedule; lenders and tenants will not close across it.
• File complete so the 10-day review clock starts; most delay in review is correction cycles, not review time.

Sources

• Elk Grove Village Code of Ordinances (American Legal Publishing), current through Ord. 3945 (Sept 8, 2026) — accessed 2026-10-31
• Elk Grove Village Business Roadmap (Community Development permit and zoning process) — accessed 2026-10-31
• Elk Grove Village Community Development, Codes & Standards (2024 International Codes; 2021 IECC) — accessed 2026-10-31
• Elk Grove Village Fire Department, Inspectional Services (2024 IFC; permit fee schedule and checklists) — accessed 2026-10-31
• Elk Grove Village Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 7 Regulations for Zoning Districts (§ 7-1 Table 7.1 read; § 7-4 use table not read) — accessed 2026-10-31
• Elk Grove Village Ordinance No. 3831 (Stream campus: substation special use, variations incl. height 60 to 120 ft) — accessed 2026-10-31
• Elk Grove Village Ordinance No. 3826 (annexation and I-1 zoning, 700 Roppolo Dr) — accessed 2026-10-31
• Elk Grove Village Plan Commission docket 23-7 packet, Aug 21, 2023 (Laserfiche; needs cookies) — accessed 2026-10-31
• ComEd compliance tariff filing, ICC Docket Nos. 25-0677/25-0679 (LDPAC terms; sheets effective March 31, 2026) — accessed 2026-10-31
• City of Aurora, Data Center Regulation Landscape comparison (Mar 18, 2026), Elk Grove row — accessed 2026-10-31
• 65 ILCS 5/11-13-1.1 (special uses) — accessed 2026-10-31
• 65 ILCS 5/11-13-14 (zoning amendments; notice; protest) — accessed 2026-10-31

Timelines are general information drawn from the sources listed, not advice on a specific project. Rules change; confirm current requirements with the authority.