Alabama Planning Board tackles data center site plan

The Alabama Planning Board in New York convened to review the site plan for Stream Data Centers' Project Double Reed, a proposed $19.46 billion data center development at the Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP). The project entails three data halls across two parcels totaling 90 acres. The meeting saw significant public opposition, with residents holding signs and one woman disrupting proceedings to express concerns about the project's unknown occupants, the impact of artificial intelligence, and a perceived lack of transparency from the developers. Town Supervisor Robert Crossen addressed the disruptions, emphasizing the need for an orderly site plan review. Robert Klavoon of Wendel Companies, the engineering firm assisting the Planning Board, presented details on the project's environmental aspects, including a closed-loop, air-cooled system designed to minimize water usage (estimated at 20,000 gallons per day). He also addressed concerns about glycol discharge, asserting that the system is contained. Discussions covered a required 900-foot waterline extension, which the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) would be responsible for, and the sanitary sewer system, with discharge eventually going to the village of Oakfield's wastewater treatment plant. Noise was another key topic, with independent studies commissioned by both Wendel and GCEDC, and Stream Data Centers having presented its own findings. The board is awaiting a definitive review of these studies. Klavoon also detailed the six emergency generators planned for the site, clarifying they are for life safety, heating, lighting, and security during outages, not for full backup power to the entire facility. The installation of these generators is contingent on state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) permits, and Stream must prepare a Spill Prevention Countermeasure Control (SPCC) plan for fuel storage. The board deferred a decision on the site plan and scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. on April 20th at the Alabama Fire Department, encouraging public input.