Residents of Gardner, Kansas, in rural Johnson County are facing the proposal of another data center just weeks after blocking one a few miles down the road.
The new project, proposed by Beale Infrastructure, would have a 16-building campus spanning more than 300 acres, according to The Kansas City Star reporter Taylor O’Conner. The cost of the project and who would use it remains unknown.
"The immediate reaction from Gardener residents was concern,” O’Conner told KCUR’s Up to Date. “They have a lot of questions. Primarily, they're worried about environmental impacts, noise impacts, and the impact of having large industrial activity near their communities.”
The Johnson County community opposed the rezoning and construction of a previous data center over concerns about air-quality, noise pollution and the large demand for water and power.
This data center, Beale estimated, would use 15,000 to 20,000 gallons of water per day and would create about 50 permanent, full-time jobs with salaries over $75,000.
- Taylor O’Conner, reporter, The Kansas City Star
