Nampa panel approves conditional-use permit for small data center at 8300 Birch Lane

The Nampa Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 26 approved a conditional‑use permit to allow a networking data center in an IL (light industrial) zoning district at 8300 Birch Lane. The commission voted to approve the permit after testimony from the applicant, city staff and economic development staff and with conditions requiring compliance with city building and fire codes and other standard development requirements.

The permit allows T5 Data Centers LLC and affiliated tenant Qlever to occupy an existing building in a recently approved industrial park. Applicant attorney Josh Leonard said the project would be a single‑user networking data center for storage, processing and network connectivity and that the exterior appearance of the recently completed building will not change. "The proposed use will not create a detriment to any person's property or general welfare," Leonard said, summarizing the findings in the staff report.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said the project fits the city's comprehensive plan goals to expand technology and industrial employment in the community and that utilities and public services are already available at the site, reducing the need for new infrastructure. The city’s economic development office said the facility would add local utility demand and fill an existing industrial building, which staff characterized as a positive for the industrial park.

Most important facts: Engineers and company representatives described the project as modest for a data center. Engineer Matt Mumpower said the site would be “about 5% of what we're typically building for data centers,” explaining it is roughly a 5‑megawatt facility compared with much larger 100‑megawatt campuses, and that the site could be built out to 8.25 megawatts in two to five years. Mumpower described the cooling as a closed‑loop system and said on‑site water use would be “very minimal” — limited to typical sinks and toilets and roughly equivalent to the water use of one or two homes.

City planning director Rodney Ashby told the commission the site already has city water, sewer and pressurized irrigation and that Idaho Power confirmed power availability. Ashby said building permits and fire and engineering reviews will require code compliance at the time of development.

Discussion vs. decision: Commissioners asked about staffing and security; applicant representatives said they expect 11 employees associated with the facility and that security staffing could fluctuate but might reach five during some shifts. Staff and the applicant emphasized that visitor levels will be low. The commission approved the conditional‑use permit with the staff's recommended findings and conditions. The permit becomes effective 15 calendar days after a written decision is provided to the applicant unless an appeal is filed with the planning and zoning department.

What happens next: The applicant must confirm with Planning and Zoning staff that no appeal has been filed before acting on the CUP. Building permits and subsequent plan reviews will enforce specific code, fire and engineering requirements noted in the staff report.