Developer Western Hospitality Partners (WHP) has finally withdrawn its proposal to build a data center in Pekin, Illinois, some two months after Mayor Mary Burress publicly announced that the city would not be moving forward with the project.

“This letter shall serve as purchaser’s notice to terminate the agreement,” reads a letter sent to officials working for City of Pekin on May 5.

It means that WHP will no longer seek to purchase a 321 land parcel on the Lutticken Property – a 1,000-acre “residential, commercial, and technology-focused” development between Highway 98 and Sheridan Road – for the purpose of building a data center.

Given that the land sale would require approval from the city, Mayor Burress's March statement was effectively a rejection.

“I have made the difficult decision that the city of Pekin will not move forward with this project at this time," the Mayor said. "When a project creates this level of uncertainty and division, it is important for us to step back and consider whether moving forward is truly the right path.”

Now WHP has also withdrawn its proposal, marking an end to the controversial facility. An opposition group, Tazewell County Data Center Opposition, currently has more than 6,200 members on Facebook.

The same group had more than 2,000 members just three months ago.

“We are no longer under contract with WHP or any affiliate. The contract has been terminated on their own volition. It’s a clean break. This contract is over. It’s terminated. It’s done. It’s a stake in the heart. Let’s use that analogy,” said city attorney Jim Vasselli to the Pekin City Council on Monday, according to a report by WBCU.

Few details about WHP are available, but the company has previously been linked to several data center projects across Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. It has faced delays and pushback against several proposed developments.

Pekin is a city located south of Peoria, central Illinois.