UPDATE: Hermantown Planning Commission recommends council approve data center permit
Hermantown's Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-1 to recommend approval of Google's Special Use Permit for a proposed 1.6 million-square-foot data center campus. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the permit, while opponents have filed two lawsuits against the city and commissioners raised concerns about stormwater management.
Hermantown's Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the City Council approve Google's Special Use Permit for an eight-building, 1.6 million-square-foot data center campus. The proposal includes three 375,000-square-foot data center buildings, mechanical buildings and equipment yards on a 234-acre site, with construction potentially beginning in the 2027 season if required approvals are obtained.
Commissioners and residents discussed traffic, utilities, site design and stormwater management, including concerns that runoff from the 191 acres expected to be disturbed could affect the Midway River during frozen conditions. The City Council is expected to consider the permit Monday. Stop the Hermantown Data Center has two lawsuits pending against the city, but city officials say legal counsel believes the permit and final plat processes can proceed.