Real estate developer Brennan Investment Group has withdrawn plans for a $2bn data center project outside Chicago, Illinois.

As reported by Shaw Local, the data center was previously planned in Barrington Hills, on land south of Penny Road and west of Pond Gate Drive.

Brennan has decided to withdraw its application, following negative feedback from local residents of the area. The company announced it would not go forward with a public presentation about the project that was planned for February 2.

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.

"Thus, the special plan commission meeting scheduled for February 2, 2026, has been canceled. At this time, the Village considers this matter closed and does not anticipate any further discussion."

Details about the project were sparse, but with the investment and anticipated scale of the project, a Change.org petition was launched against the development.

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," noting concerns about air pollution, water quality, and a violation of village codes."

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. A 36MW data center was denied by the Naperville City Council in January, and another project was paused due to a lack of transmission infrastructure.