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Residents press council for details on proposed Nevius data center; city schedules public forums
Summary
Residents raised concerns about a proposed Nevius data center's water and power demands, noise and pollution, and said outreach has been limited; the city said Nevius will host public forums in early to mid-January and that zoning for Eastgate already allows industrial uses including data centers.
Residents and labor representatives used the public-comment period at the Dec. 15 Independence City Council meeting to press for more detail and community engagement about a proposed data center project referred to in the meeting as Nevius (transcript variants: "Nebbius").
Shannon McClain, a lifelong Independence resident living on East 14th Street North, said residents near the planned site have not seen adequate outreach. "Will there be a vote on this going forth? Is this a done deal?" McClain asked, raising questions about how the project would affect local water and power infrastructure, what cooling systems would be used, expected noise levels, pollution controls, and whether promised jobs would employ local workers and unions.
Other speakers urged local hiring and workforce development tied to the projects. Kevin Garden (business manager, Local 518) and representatives of building trades and electrical unions — including Mike Talboy and Bill Marino — urged use of local contractors and apprenticeship programs. Valerie Burns, representing the Chamber and the Independence Economic Development Partnership, endorsed the Nevius data center and the IPP Blue Valley power plant as solutions to local power capacity concerns.
Council members asked staff for clarity. Assistant City Manager Charlie DeSalle and Interim City Manager Lisa Reynolds said Nevius representatives have an educational arm and that the city is coordinating engagement; staff were seeking early-to-mid-January dates for public forums, possibly tied to a council study session and a town hall hosted with the Public Utility Advisory Board (PUEB). "We're working closely with Nevius' communication team at this point," DeSalle said.
Council members also noted that Eastgate's zoning was changed previously to allow industrial and business-park uses, including data centers; staff said that rezoning occurred in 2022, which makes the land use permissive for the proposed project.
Residents and council members asked the city to provide technical information in advance about anticipated water usage, power needs, cooling technology, and pollution/noise mitigation. Peyton Smith, a public commenter, cited an Environmental and Energy Study Institute estimate that a medium-sized data center can use 110,000,000 gallons of water per year and contrasted that with a cited city surplus figure of 20,000,000 gallons; he asked city staff to clarify the expected scale and net benefit to the community.
The city committed to additional public meetings and to assembling technical answers about infrastructure capacity and environmental protections before any final approvals.
