Mountain Home neighbors raise concerns over proposed data center as zoning rules currently prohibit it
Weitz & Co. has proposed a 3.4 million-square-foot data center campus at Bennett Ranch Industrial Campus in Mountain Home, but the city has not received a formal land-use or building application. The project is currently prohibited under Mountain Home zoning rules, while neighbors raise concerns about its size, water use and location near homes.
Weitz & Co. has outlined plans for four three-story data center buildings totaling about 3.4 million square feet at the Bennett Ranch Industrial Campus in Mountain Home. The proposal would include power generation, backup systems and closed-loop cooling, but the company has not submitted a formal land-use, conditional-use or building permit application.
Mountain Home Mayor Rich Sykes said data centers are currently neither permitted nor allowed as conditional uses in any city zoning district. City officials have been working since July to define and categorize data centers in the zoning code, potentially allowing the developer to pursue approval after new rules are established.
Residents including Christine May, Lizabeth Braun and Evan Peterson questioned the project's scale, water implications and proximity to homes. Councilman Scott Harjo has also sought answers about potential water use, while the developer says its cooling system would minimize consumption and that a 2005 agreement may allow the site to connect to the municipal water system.