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Planning Commission approves CUP to formalize data center use at 1001 3rd Ave S
Summary
The commission approved a conditional use permit allowing a communications exchange (data center) to be treated as the primary use throughout the existing multi‑floor building at 1001 3rd Ave S; staff characterized the request as correcting permit history and recommended approval; vote was 6–0.
The Minneapolis Planning Commission on Dec. 8 approved a conditional use permit to recognize a communications exchange (data center) use throughout the 505,000‑square‑foot building at 1001 3rd Avenue South.
CPED planner Andrew Litzka told the commission that the structure — built in the late 1980s and issued a 1990 certificate of occupancy describing it as an office and computer complex — has historically contained a mix of offices and data equipment, and that staff found the six required CUP findings were met. "Staff finds that all of the required findings for a CUP are met," Litzka said. The proposal includes only interior changes and no exterior alterations.
Applicant representative Jake Steen of Larkin Hoffman said the filing follows a 2023 zoning code text amendment that shifted data centers/communications exchanges to conditional status downtown. Steen described the application as largely a paperwork cleanup to avoid repeated CUP amendments when interior floor plans change: "we don't have to ask for a CUP amendment every time we expanded" on a particular floor, he said.
A nearby resident, Creston Gackle, urged the commission to send the proposal back for more study, citing concerns about utility usage (water, electricity and bandwidth), equity impacts and limited local benefits from an out‑of‑state entity using a Minneapolis LLC name. "I do not believe the current study adequately addressed the impact on utility usage," Gackle said.
CPED staff responded that a separate zoning code text amendment is underway to take a broader look at larger data centers and potential off‑site impacts; staff described this application as procedural because the building has an established permit history for data center use. Chair Chris Meyer and other commissioners acknowledged the utility concerns but said those are most relevant to new, larger facilities.
Commissioner Shepherd moved approval; the motion carried on a roll call vote of 6–0. The commission's action recognizes the communications exchange use across the building and avoids the need for floor‑by‑floor CUP amendments for interior modifications going forward.
The commission noted the zoning study of data centers will continue; no further conditions beyond staff recommendations were added at the meeting.
