Huge data center proposed on hundreds of acres in rural Johnson County — again

A little more than a month after rural Johnson County residents celebrated a win with the withdrawal of a massive data center proposal, another one popped up just 5 miles down the road.

San Francisco-based data center developer Beale Infrastructure recently submitted a proposal to Gardner to build a 16-building campus on 300 acres near the northeast corner of 191st Street and South Clare Road. It’s still unclear who would use the center or how much it would cost to build.

If approved, Gardner would be Beale’s fourth campus developed in the U.S., with other billion-dollar data center projects in Tucson, Arizona; Tulsa, Oklahoma, and nearby, in De Soto.

But, similarly to neighbors in Spring Hill, several Gardner residents, including Kaela Eisenbarger, plan to push back on the project, with concerns about the health and environmental effects of a data center moving into a rural area.

“I plan to be at every meeting I possibly can be at because I feel a responsibility to fight for my livelihood,” said Eisenbarger, who lives right across the street from the proposed site. “It might be outside of town, and it might not be a big deal to some people, but this is my home. This is my family. This is our life.”

What we know about the project

According to Beale’s website, the Gardner campus would be set back from existing infrastructure by more than 100 feet and building heights would comply with the city’s 60-foot limit.

Sound mitigation measures — including berms and acoustic treatment — would be incorporated to control noise levels, and exterior lighting would be shielded and directed downward to prevent glare or spillover into surrounding properties.

The center would use a closed-loop air-cooled system, which reuses a set amount of water for industrial cooling purposes, according to the website. On average, Beale anticipates that the facility would use 15,000 to 20,000 gallons per day. In comparison, large data centers that continuously use water for its cooling system can consume up to 5 million gallons per day, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

Evergy would power the site, with Beale anticipating building a private substation and new Evergy substation, which would include “significant renewable sources,” on the campus, according to the website.

“Where on-site generation is used, it will function as a resiliency measure and operate under strict emissions and noise standards,” the website states.

Traffic studies and access plans will be completed and submitted as part of the formal review process, and any infrastructure improvements required to serve the campus will be privately funded, according to the website.

‘Cause for concern’

Eisenbarger, who grew up in Gardner, moved back to the city to be close to family in 2021.

She can now walk out her front door and cross the street to be on the proposed site, she said.

“Initially, we were of course upset about the news, where we live is quiet and peaceful and designed to be that way, and we moved here for that reason,” she said. “So obviously, to find out any industry is coming this way is upsetting, but then data centers are more than just an eyesore.”

Despite the plans to mitigate environmental impacts, she said she’s still concerned about poor air quality, constant sound exposure and groundwater contamination from the site.

“They rely on fossil fuels and diesel generators that emit nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter and sulfur dioxide into the air,” she said about data centers in general. “These things have been known to cause respiratory and cardiovascular disease, asthma.”

She added that she worries about how the noise might impact her kids and her family’s health, with studies from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute showing that chronic noise exposure can cause sleep deprivation, increased stress and behavioral issues.

“While all of that stuff I said to you is understudied, and I’m aware of that,” she said. “But, again, if there’s any chance that any of that is true, it is cause for concern for anyone who lives nearby.”

Incentives and jobs

Initial operations are expected to support approximately 50 full-time positions on site, with salaries exceeding $75,000 and include benefits, according to the website. More jobs will be added as future phases are developed.

The city of Gardner did not answer questions about if Beale requested tax incentives to build the project, as it’s still in the application review process.

In nearby De Soto, the City Council approved $50 billion in bonds and a 10-year property tax abatement to support the $3 billion development. The near 300 acre site on the northwest corner of 103rd Street and Edgerton Road, just off Kansas Highway 10, will eventually be home to data center buildings, totalling about 2.9 million square feet.

According to a press release, the company anticipates a groundbreaking in De Soto next month, and the first building is expected to be complete in late 2027.

In Gardner, Beale will be hosting an in-person informational session on May 13, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Wheatridge Middle School — 318 E. Washington St. — to provide details about the proposed data center project. An additional virtual meeting will be held on May 15, at 10 a.m.

The project is anticipated to go before the Planning Commission on May 26 and the City Council on June 15.