Many of you are aware of the potential data center project along Highway 98. While this project is still in very early stages of the development process and has not received any final approvals, the City has heard opinions on the project from many people in our community, both for and against it. We absolutely welcome all sincere, civil engagement on this matter and on any other City business. So, in the spirit of transparency, I wanted to take the opportunity to tell the longer story of the Lutticken property and the prospective data center development. 

The City was approached by the former owner of the Lutticken property in 2023 to discuss the City’s plan to connect Veterans Drive to I-474. During those discussions, the owner offered for the City to purchase the approximately 1,000 acres including Lutticken Lake. While the City is generally not in the development business, we did see this as an opportunity to provide for economic growth and to control Pekin’s destiny before anyone else did. The agreement to purchase the property was executed in summer 2024, well before we knew anything of a data center proposal. While the vote to purchase was a split vote, even one of the dissenting Councilmembers pledged after the vote that they would do whatever they could to make the investment successful.

Shortly thereafter, we started to market the property for both commercial and residential development opportunities, and staff was first introduced to the data center developer in December 2024. Staff began organizing initial meetings with Ameren to discuss the project’s feasibility and eventually made Council aware the opportunity was real. Council deliberated on a fair real estate agreement to give the developer the option to purchase 321 acres of the north end of the property conditional upon the City’s future approval of the project. While the City had intended to purchase the Lutticken property over 4 years through seller-financing, this opportunity (and others) warranted a quicker purchase. So, the City worked with the prior owner to finalize the purchase, and the agreement with the developer was executed in June 2025.

The developer had an initial 9-month due diligence period with two optional 6-month extensions, the first of which they have taken. Some people have voiced concern over the long due diligence period, but development takes time, and big developments take a long time. The renovation of Bob Evans into Chipotle took a full year from initial discussions to opening, so it is not hard to imagine that just planning for this large of a project could take over a year before any sort of site plan is proposed. This is especially true given the reviews that will be required from Ameren, IDOT, IEPA, and other State agencies. Ultimately, we expect that we won’t know much more about the project for several more months, and no decisions about commercial zoning, site plans, incentives, etc. will be made until we do have the full information. Until then, the City will continue to listen to the public, document questions and concerns, and ensure we are being as open about the project as we can.

Aside from the data center, we have three residential developers seriously interested in building homes of all kinds. The City envisions large estate lots near Lutticken Lake, more single-family housing surrounding that, and ultimately a phasing into duplexes, townhomes, and perhaps even apartments near the commercial property and Veterans Drive.

Whatever proposals come our way for consideration, the public should take comfort in knowing that all decisions about the future of this property are public. From rezoning hearings to site plan approvals, the public should and does have ample opportunity to engage with our government and voice their opinions. We thank you for the engagement thus far, and we hope it continues throughout the process.