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Staff: Goodland Data Center PD expansion raises infrastructure questions; residents ask about annexation and taxes
Summary
Staff told the commission the Goodland Data Center PD would expand by roughly 8 acres to support infrastructure and intersections; staff included three opposition letters in the packet, and commissioners raised concerns about water and electricity demands and whether annexation would subject adjacent mobile‑home residents to city taxes.
City planning staff presented a concept to expand the Goodland Data Center planned development by about 8 acres during the Jan. 13 staff briefing, saying the additional land would help the developer build new intersections and accommodate future site needs.
"We have acquired an additional 8 acres on the other side of the proposed new street," a staff member said. The presenter said the extra acreage increases the overall development to roughly 1,450 acres and that the Development Review Committee recommends approval of the boundary change.
Staff included three opposition letters in the packet. The staff reader quoted one comment from a Buffalo Hills mobile‑home‑park resident who asked how annexation would affect the park, writing, "to be totally honest, I don't know what you're trying to annex ... Does this mean that you will be assessing taxes on us and we will remain isolated and still be unincorporated? If so, I don't object to what you want to do. I only object if it affects our taxes." The presenter said the city is not yet in a position to change residents' status and that public hearings and direct communication with affected property owners will follow.
Commissioners voiced operational concerns about data centers' local resource demands. One commissioner asked whether the city has a limit on data centers because of electricity and water needs, noting that data centers require substantial cooling and can strain local utilities. Staff said the developer and the city’s engineering department have been coordinating; staff said the developer has been working with engineering to add water‑supply infrastructure and noted an "encore" substation had been built previously to address electricity needs in the area.
Staff flagged that some opposition letters came from properties immediately adjacent to the area proposed for expansion and that some letters lacked an identifiable street number. The presenter said the DRC recommends approval but that final decisions and any required conditions would come through the regular public hearing and council review process.
