The City of Pekin will no longer consider having a data center built in the community.
Mayor Mary Burress made the announcement Monday in a statement she read just before the beginning of public comment at the city council meeting.
Her announcement elicited thunderous applause from the audience that filled the council meeting room at City Hall and spilled into the lobby.
The Pekin City Council is expected to vote on a legal end to its proposed agreement with data center developer Western Hospitality Partners at its next meeting March 23. A town hall meeting on the data center project scheduled for the following day at Pekin Community High School has been canceled.
The data center, which would have been built on about one-third of the 1,000-acre Lutticken Farm property purchased by the city last year, has faced vigorous opposition in Pekin and surrounding communities.
Burress said she gathered input from community, city council and city staff members, and had conversations with the proposed developer before making her "difficult decision."
"I truly believe there were aspects of this proposal that could have brought opportunity," she said. "But it has become clear that, at this time, it's not the right project for Pekin.
"When a project creates this level of uncertainty and division, it's important to step back and carefully consider whether moving forward is truly the right path."
