People in Pittsburg, California, are turning out in force against a proposed data center, arguing the hyperscale project will be built too close to residential homes.
Their opposition is becoming yet another sign that communities across the country are beginning to question where energy-hungry tech infrastructure belongs.
What's happening?
CBS News reported that developer Avaio Digital plans to place its Perseus data center on a former municipal golf course. When city officials closed the golf course, they announced it would be turned into a new business and technology park.
However, CBS News noted that, despite the designation, it was not clear to residents that the area would be home to a hyperscale data center.
Public turnout has reflected that concern: CBS News said around 400 people came to a June 15 council meeting, expressing concerns over the plan.
While residents continue to voice their concerns, CBS News reported that the project's first phase was approved two years ago. The Avaio Digital data center is expected to consume 99 megawatts of power, but future expansions could increase that demand to 500 megawatts.
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Pittsburg homeowner Keesha Johnson expressed her disapproval of the plans to CBS News.
"When I looked at the pictures. When I heard 'hyperscale' and all of these things starting to trend on NextDoor, I looked it up. And I said this does not belong in a residential neighborhood," Johnson told the outlet.
Resident Carmen Magallan, who lives across the street from the proposed site, told CBS News the plan has changed how she feels about her longtime neighborhood.
"Horrible. Horrible. I, gosh, should we move?" she said. "This is a neighborhood. There's so many homes around here. How can you just plop it right down there?"
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Why does it matter?
Data centers are becoming a major local issue because they can bring tax revenue and digital infrastructure while also raising concerns about noise, land use, water demand, and pressure on the electric grid.
AI-driven data centers can consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, contribute to higher infrastructure costs, and introduce risks around security, misuse, and other unintended consequences that can ripple through daily life, including potentially higher energy bills.
For many people in Pittsburg, the bigger grievance is the feeling that the plan was not clearly explained from the start.
What's being done?
According to CBS News, Avaio Digital said the proposal cleared an extensive environmental review process and was approved by the Pittsburg City Council along with multiple state regulatory agencies.
The company also said in a statement to CBS News that it plans to rely on recycled wastewater rather than drinking water, buy green energy credits to make its power demand "100% zero carbon equivalent," and use "ultra quiet equipment."
Avaio also argued that the property has sat abandoned for years and created a fire hazard, and said the development would fund roads, parks, and public safety without raising taxes.
Residents, however, are still organizing.
Resident Allen Tatomer told the outlet, "We've never had this kind of response. This is a very unified, very articulate, very passionate group of people."
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