Hermantown's Google data center meeting moved to Friday following protests
Hermantown officials rescheduled a meeting to Friday to vote on final local approvals for Google’s proposed 1.7 million-square-foot data center after protests forced earlier meetings to be canceled. Attendance will be capped at 85 people, while opponents continue to criticize the city’s handling of public participation and raise concerns about the project’s energy, water, noise and light impacts.
The Hermantown City Council will meet Friday to consider a special use permit and development and decommissioning agreements for Google’s proposed data center near Duluth. The meeting was rescheduled after opponents occupied the area outside the council chambers, chanting and protesting until officials canceled the prior meeting over safety concerns. The city will stream the meeting online, limit in-person attendance to 85 people and accept written comments, but will not provide its usual overflow room.
Google proposes a three-building, 1.7 million-square-foot facility on more than 200 acres, with an estimated first-phase cost of $650 million. The company has withdrawn its request for up to $80 million in property tax breaks, agreed to monitor groundwater and nearby wells, reimburse homeowners for related impacts and fund eventual decommissioning. Opponents, including Stop the Hermantown Data Center and resident Sarah Lofald, object to the project’s energy and water demands and the city’s earlier secrecy, while supporters cite construction jobs and tax revenue. The project still faces three lawsuits and requires state utility approval for an electricity supply agreement with Minnesota Power.