"They're going to take 30 acres of our land." Liberty residents voice opposition to an approved data center
Liberty, Missouri residents are opposing a recently approved MetroBloks data center development, citing concerns over tax abatements, land use, and the project's environmental impact on water and energy resources. Despite city officials defending the economic benefits and safeguards, residents are committed to fighting the project, questioning the transparency of the approval process. The project was approved with significant tax abatements.
The city of Liberty, Missouri, has approved a $1.4 billion MetroBloks data center project, including over $200 million in tax abatements over 25 years. This decision has sparked significant opposition from local residents, who express concerns about the loss of 30 acres of land, the potential for limited job creation for Liberty residents, and the project's impact on local taxes.
Residents like Carrie Lonsdale, who moved to Liberty for its small-town atmosphere, are particularly worried about the data center's water and energy consumption. City Administrator Curt Wenson addressed these concerns, stating that the facility's water line size limits demand and that the city imposed water usage limits with higher rates and flow reductions for exceeding thresholds. Regarding electricity, Wenson noted that Evergy affirmed the project would not increase rates and requires the developer to pay all direct service and upgrade costs, with a "Large Load Power Service tariff" for consumption over 75MW.
Opponents also criticized the transparency of the approval process, arguing that city leaders are merely echoing information from data center proponents without independent technical review. While the city maintains it goes beyond legal notification requirements and that the project, located in an industrial zoning district, was processed correctly, residents like Lonsdale remain determined to fight for their community, questioning the economic benefits and tax abatements granted to a multi-billion dollar business. MetroBloks has not yet commented on resident concerns.