Planning commission recommends Monarch Data Center specific plan despite traffic, safety questions; public raises concerns

The Lyon County Planning Commission on July 8 voted 6-0 to forward a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners for a master plan amendment from Agriculture to a Specific Plan for the proposed Monarch Data Center, a project submitted by Copia Power DevCo, LLC.

The application covers two parcels totaling about 505 acres in Mason Valley and would allow up to 4,600,000 square feet of data center buildings across 14 separate structures, on-site battery energy storage systems, a potential natural‑gas backup system, electrical substations and high‑voltage generation tie (gentie) lines, according to the applicant’s materials. Copia and its consultants described a phased development approach and said the first phase could include 150 megawatts (about 2–4 data center buildings) and that full buildout depends on regional transmission upgrades such as the Nevada Greenlink project.

Copia’s representatives said the project could generate a large capital investment and recurring county revenue. Copia presented an economic estimate of roughly $11 billion in capital investment and a projected $562,000 per year in property tax revenue, of which the company said 95% would…