Pittsburg Launches Webpage on AVAIO Data Center
The City of Pittsburg, CA, has launched a new webpage to provide information on the AVAIO data center, which was approved in November 2024. This comes amidst ongoing public displeasure and concerns regarding transparency, environmental impacts, and overall city effects. The city council plans a future workshop for additional public engagement and discussion on the project.
The City of Pittsburg, California, has created a new webpage dedicated to the AVAIO data center project, which received unanimous city council approval in November 2024. This initiative follows significant public backlash, including a city council meeting attended by over 200 residents who voiced concerns about the project's transparency, environmental impact, and overall effects on the city.
Jordan Davis, Director of Community and Economic Development, addressed public queries in an extensive email, clarifying that the 300,000 square-foot data center on the former Delta View Golf Course site underwent a comprehensive Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This report analyzed potential impacts such as wildfire risk, hazardous materials, traffic, and noise, concluding that all significant impacts would be reduced to less-than-significant levels through legally binding mitigation measures, which the City Council adopted in a monitoring program.
The city highlighted several project benefits and safeguards: the data center will use a closed-loop, air-cooled system and exclusively recycled water, projected to consume significantly less water than the golf course previously did. Electrical service will be provided by Pittsburg Power Company, separate from PG&E, with the developer funding approximately $100 million in grid upgrades. Backup generators are strictly for emergency use, fitted with scrubbers to reduce emissions and designed with extensive noise and fire suppression controls. The project is also obligated to use 100% carbon-free electricity.
Despite the project's approval, the city is committed to ongoing transparency and public engagement, with plans for a future data center workshop to address community feedback.