Data center developer Karis Critical has withdrawn its rezoning request for a data center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Hoffman Estates Holdings (H.E. Holdings), the owner of an 186-acre land parcel at 4800 W. Higgins Road, told the Village of Hoffman Estates on June 30 that it was withdrawing an application to rezone the parcel for data center use.

Karis was advising H.E. Holdings, according to reporting by NBC 5.

In an email to Capitol News Illinois, Karis spokesperson Patrick Skarr said that “after several weeks of conversations with the Village and residents, we’ve decided the right step is to withdraw the current rezoning request.

“We heard the feedback clearly, including the call for a more specific plan before any rezoning. We’ll take the time to get that right. Should we bring a proposal forward in the future, the Village and the community will have the details they need to evaluate it fully and on its merits.”

This means that the proposal will not be considered by the Village Board on July 6.

DCD has reached out to Karis to confirm whether it will try to file a zoning map amendment application in the future.

Opposition to the data center has been fierce. A petition against the facility has received more than 3,250 signatures at time of writing, and residents turned out at local meetings to voice concerns about the facility’s environmental impact, noise footprint, and planning process.

Karis is also reportedly considering purchasing a 168-acre site formerly belonging to BP for the development of a data center in DuPage County, around 20 miles (32km) south of Hoffman Estates.

The company describes itself as an investor in land, energy, and infrastructure for data centers. It is developing a data center in DeKalb, Illinois, and is known to be targeting sites in Ohio.

Karis’ website lists potential projects in Aiken, South Carolina; New Albany, Ohio; DeKalb, Illinois; and Birmingham, Alabama.