As Edgerton overturns its denial for data center project, a community fights against it

The Edgerton City Council has unanimously approved DAMAC Digital's final site plan for an $860 million data center, overturning an earlier denial by the city's Planning Commission. The project, DAMAC Digital's first in the U.S., is slated for the Logistics Park Kansas City warehouse and will support AI, cloud, and enterprise workloads.

The Planning Commission initially denied the plan due to a requirement for below-ground exterior fuel tanks, which DAMAC Digital's initial proposal did not meet. However, during the appeal to the City Council, DAMAC Group's Director of Land Development and Acquisition, Chelsea Kulhanek, confirmed their willingness to comply. Charles Renner, DAMAC's representative from Husch Blackwell, argued that the Planning Commission's denial was unnecessary and stemmed from public discomfort with data center development rather than a genuine code violation.

Local residents, led by Kimberly Twente and the nonprofit Public Trust Collective, are actively opposing the development. They have raised concerns about conflicts of interest within the city staff, including councilmember Joshua Lewis, who voted to approve the appeal and previously moved to deny a moratorium. The Public Trust Collective is currently fundraising to hire an attorney, vowing to continue fighting the project despite the council's approval. Residents expressed frustration over the decision and what they perceive as inconsistent communication regarding project details, such as fuel tank placement.

Despite the community's vocal opposition and concerns, the City Council's unanimous vote to approve the appeal means the project's final site plan has passed, with only the final plat review remaining in August. The opposition group remains steadfast, stating they will not cease their efforts until all avenues to block the data center are exhausted.