Proposed data center at Albany's Kenwood campus divides South Albany residents
Guild Ventures is proposing a data center on four acres of the former Kenwood convent and school campus in South Albany. The proposal has divided residents, with the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association and Albany No Kings Collective raising concerns about electricity costs, noise and pollution, while developers say the air-cooled facility would use limited water and avoid those impacts.
Guild Ventures is proposing a data center on part of the 76-acre Kenwood campus in South Albany, where a fire destroyed three buildings in 2023. The proposed facility would occupy about four acres and is part of a broader redevelopment plan that also includes housing and commercial space. Guild Ventures has applied for up to 180 megawatts of electricity, though the developers say the project would not use the full amount.
The proposal has divided local residents. The Mount Hope Neighborhood Association opposes the project, while the Albany No Kings Collective has warned that the facility could increase electricity costs. Residents also questioned potential noise, water use and ground pollution; Guild Ventures says the planned air-cooled data center would use less water than a farm or golf course and would not create the cited noise or pollution impacts. The project remains preliminary, with the developers expected to seek rezoning from the Albany Common Council in the coming months and construction of the first phase at least a year away.