Town Center Data Center Will Be 100,000 Square Feet, Triple Footprint Size Palm Coast Approved
A DC Blox executive revealed that a data center under construction in Palm Coast, Florida, will be two buildings totaling 100,000 square feet, significantly larger than the 33,760 square feet originally approved by city planners without public review. This disclosure blindsided city officials, who had been promoting the project as smaller. The revelation has sparked public backlash and is expected to lead to stricter city council scrutiny under new, proposed Land Development Code changes for future data center approvals.
Bill Thompson, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management for DC Blox, unexpectedly revealed during a WNZF radio interview that the data center under construction in Palm Coast's Town Center, Florida, will comprise two buildings totaling 100,000 square feet. This dramatically expanded scope contrasts sharply with the 33,760-square-foot facility Palm Coast's planning department had administratively approved without public review by the Planning Board or City Council. Planning Manager Phong Nguyen's previous communications indicated that projects exceeding 40,000 square feet, and especially those 100,000 square feet or larger, would necessitate public hearings.
City officials, including City Council member Ty Miller and Communications Director Brittany Kershaw, expressed unawareness of the larger plans, having repeatedly cited the smaller footprint to combat public concerns about large data centers. The revelation has caused a public backlash, with the article suggesting the city will bear the brunt of public anger for the lack of transparency and proper regulatory process. In response to growing concerns over data center development, the Palm Coast City Council is reportedly close to approving changes to the Land Development Code that would mandate public review for all future data centers, regardless of size. This new regulation would ensure that any subsequent phases of the DC Blox project would undergo strict scrutiny.
Thompson also clarified that the facility is a co-location data center, not just a cable landing station, and minimized its environmental impact, stating it would use 10 megawatts of power and a water-cooling system that reuses water, comparable to seven average homes. DC Blox has secured a contract with Google for its "sol" undersea cable. The city and DC Blox have also cited different investment figures, with the city's rack card stating $100 million compared to Thompson's $50 million, though both acknowledge the significant property tax revenue potential.