Data center company to acquire former South San Jose IBM site
Blackstart Digital has agreed to acquire the former IBM Almaden Research Center in South San Jose and plans to expand its existing data center capacity, subject to power availability and environmental review. Residents and environmental groups oppose the rezoning and are concerned about impacts on surrounding serpentine grasslands, wildlife habitat, noise, emissions and open space.
Blackstart Digital has entered an agreement to acquire the former IBM Almaden Research Center in Coyote Valley, a 35-acre campus with seven buildings and more than 500,000 square feet of space. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. The company says it intends to redevelop the campus sustainably, using closed-loop cooling, battery safety systems, noise mitigation and software to reduce peak electricity demand, while preserving the surrounding 565 acres of open space.
The San Jose City Council rezoned the property in August, but the decision drew opposition from residents and environmental organizations. Green Foothills and groups including the Sierra Club, California Native Plant Society and Mothers Out Front cited potential CEQA, land-use and ecological concerns, including impacts from backup-generator emissions, noise, lighting and activity near habitat for rare plants and the threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly. Blackstart has asked the city to complete the environmental review associated with the rezoning, and no new development application has yet been filed.