City staff told councilors they are seeing renewed private interest in large industrial projects — including at least three data center inquiries in recent months — and urged local and county coordination on annexation and utility planning.

“Within the last 2, 3 months, at least 3 data center type projects that have indicated interest in this corridor,” Lance Brockovich said, noting the County Road 1 corridor’s value as a direct connection from the business park to I‑70. Brockovich said large projects typically seek sanitary sewer and reliable water service and that, if not annexed into the city, developers might face differing regulatory approaches at the county or state level.

Brockovich also flagged the marketing of Tailgate Ranch, a property of more than 2,100 acres, and said the property coming to market could accelerate industrial and data‑center development in the corridor. He urged city and county leaders to consider annexation and infrastructure planning to support growth while protecting community interests.

Brockovich told the council he had been informed that the Leavenworth County Development Corporation (LCDC) and county executive board were discussing submissions of letters of interest to the Department of Commerce for a proposed state‑approved nuclear plant site and that county commissioners planned to discuss the issue. Brockovich said the county had not sought the city’s views or contacted the city’s county representative.

Representative Neely, speaking during the briefing, offered legislative assistance and recommended that the state consider models to govern data centers more holistically, including protections for consumer data. He referenced Senate Bill 98, passed last year to provide sales‑tax exemptions for data centers, and suggested states such as Minnesota and Iowa as models for data‑use and consumer protection frameworks.

No annexations or development approvals were made at the briefing. City staff asked the council to weigh when to pursue annexation or utility agreements and to keep development and funding needs in mind for infrastructure planning.