Family rejects $26M from AI company to keep farmland from being turned into a data center

In Maysville, Kentucky, the Huddleston family has steadfastly refused a $26 million offer from an undisclosed Fortune 100 AI company seeking to acquire 900 of their 1,200 acres in Mason County for a large data center campus. The family, who has farmed the land for generations, views the property as "priceless" and intends to pass it down to future generations. Delsia Bare and her mother, Ida Huddleston, express deep emotional attachment to the land and are actively fighting the proposed development. Maysville City Manager Matt Wallingford confirmed the confidentiality of the company's identity but highlighted the project's potential economic benefits, including over 1,000 construction jobs and 100 full-time positions averaging $100,000 annually. He also noted that a state tariff would mandate the company fund a second power plant, at no cost to taxpayers or existing utility ratepayers, and that the data center would use a closed-loop water system to mitigate environmental impact. Despite these assurances, the Huddleston family's opposition remains strong, citing concerns over potential impacts on local water systems, strain on the power grid, and the irreversible loss of fertile agricultural land. The proposed development would require the rezoning of 28 properties, totaling more than 2,000 acres, just outside Maysville city limits.