The late-night vote finalized a development agreement, special use permit, and a $210 million decommissioning plan meant to protect the city if the facility is ever abandoned. Google offered several concessions ahead of the decision, including dropping an $80 million tax break request, capping building heights at 33 feet, and agreeing to monitor surrounding private wells. However, grassroots opponents criticized crowd-control measures that capped meeting attendance at 85 people while pending litigation challenges the environmental review and zoning changes.
Key points
The project successfully cleared its final municipal hurdle despite intense community pus…: The project successfully cleared its final municipal hurdle despite intense community pushback over corporate influence in residential areas.
Financial protections for the city include a $210 million agreement to manage costs if th…: Financial protections for the city include a $210 million agreement to manage costs if the facility is ultimately abandoned.
Ongoing lawsuits over the environmental review and municipal zoning procedures still thre…: Ongoing lawsuits over the environmental review and municipal zoning procedures still threaten to disrupt the development timeline.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
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After twice being rescheduled following protests earlier this week, the Hermantown City Council unanimously approved several key agreements late Friday night for a controversial proposed Google data center in northeast Minnesota despite vehement local opposition.
The votes took place following four hours of public comment and about an hour of discussion. The meeting wrapped up just before midnight.
The council approved a development agreement for the 1.7 million-square-foot project, which is slated to be built on more than 200 acres in a rural residential area of Hermantown just outside Duluth.
Other approvals included a special use permit and a plan to decommission the site in the event the data center isn’t completed or abandoned.
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