City Council sets Nov. 9 hearing on data center proposal in Monticello
The Monticello City Council will hold a Nov. 9 public hearing on land-use applications for the proposed 550-acre Edmonson Business Center data center campus. Residents have raised concerns about groundwater, electricity demand, noise, environmental effects and infrastructure, while the council considers rezoning, a preliminary plat and a conditional use permit.
The Monticello City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing Nov. 9 on land-use applications for the proposed Edmonson Business Center, a roughly 547-acre data center campus planned south of 85th Street NE and east of Highway 25. The applications include a preliminary plat, rezoning to several districts, including a Data Center Planned Unit Development, and a conditional use permit for data center uses. The council could act at the hearing or continue the matter, with the city’s extended review deadline set for Dec. 8.
The Monticello Planning Commission recommended approval in a 4-1 vote after an Oct. 6 hearing attended by about 150 people. Residents questioned the project’s potential demand for more than 500 megawatts of electricity, estimated water use of 75,000 gallons per day, environmental impacts, noise, groundwater effects and the cost of approximately $70 million in public infrastructure improvements. City Administrator Rachel Leonard said staff are preparing a summary of residents’ concerns and how they relate to existing regulations or possible additional protections.