City planners unanimously turned down a controversial plan to build a 20-story data center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, KCUR reported.
What happened?
According to KCUR, after heavy public pushback, the Kansas City Plan Commission unanimously rejected Miami-based developer Revitalization Unlimited's proposal for a 384-foot-tall data center.
Commissioners said they received 475 letters opposing the project and none supporting it.
In a recent meeting allowing public comment on the proposed data center, 55 residents addressed the commission in a two-hour period. Opponents noted that the project would create environmental risks, noise pollution, and the destruction of a historic building.
Among them was Kansas City resident Megan Haave, who offered one of the hearing's sharpest rebukes.
"It will not house, feed, or clothe residents. It will not increase civic pride or public trust. What it will do is be an eyesore, a leech on our resources, and a stain on our city's public record," Haave said, as KCUR reported.
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Historic Kansas City executive director Ethan Starr focused on what he described as the developer's reversal over the future of the site.
"The Western Newspaper Union's building acquisition was presented as a preservation-oriented investment, accompanied by the recording of a preservation easement Dec. 31, intended to permanently protect the building," Starr said, as KCUR relayed. "Now, instead, the city is being asked to approve demolition for a 384-foot-tall data center. That dramatic disparity deserves careful scrutiny."
Why is this decision important?
People across the country are currently making many decisions about where data centers should and shouldn't be. These facilities are becoming increasingly important to the digital economy. But critics say they can consume large amounts of energy and water, create noise pollution, and crowd out projects that could deliver more visible public benefits.
Commissioner Matt Hasek, as quoted by KCUR, framed the debate in terms of that last aspect.
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"It's not a productive use of downtown space," Hasek said. "And I find it ironic, too, that the historic building that you're wanting to tear down has more productive capacity than what you're offering, almost twice as much as the 20-story building."
What's being done?
The proposal may still have a path forward. According to the outlet, Revitalization Unlimited could ask the city council to override the commission's rejection. Revitalization Unlimited CEO Steve Austin said the company has not yet decided how it will proceed.
"We are disappointed by the outcome but respect the decision made at yesterday's City Plan Commission meeting," Austin wrote in an email to KCUR. "We heard the concerns raised by the community loud and clear and are currently considering our next steps. No final decisions have been made at this time."
If Revitalization Unlimited does make that appeal, however, it doesn't look like it would be very successful.
On social media, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas wrote, "The applicant can ask City Council to override the recommendation, but a reversal is highly unlikely and would not have my support or, I presume, most of Council's."
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