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Commission conditions approval of Becknell Industrial PUD rezoning, removes 'data center' as permitted use
Summary
After extended public comment from nearby residents about truck traffic, noise, lighting and fence maintenance, the Plan Commission recommended approval of a rezoning to a PUD (technology/business park) for Becknell Industrial with two conditions: strike 'data center' as a permitted use and require the petitioner to work with staff on enhanced screening and buffering.
The Plan Commission voted to send a favorable recommendation to the City Council for petition 26‑09 — a request to rezone property at 61st Avenue and Liverpool Road from B‑3 to a PUD (technology/business park) — with two explicit conditions: the petitioners agreed to remove 'data center' from the list of permitted uses and to work with staff on increased screening and landscaping.
Developer representatives described a four‑building speculative business park aimed at small‑to‑mid‑sized industrial or flex tenants with 83,000–95,000 square‑foot building footprints and a total project cost estimate near $56 million. "This is a master plan business park that we're intending to, you know, subdivide into smaller units and lease the class‑A companies," a Becknell representative said.
Multiple neighbors testified during the public hearing, expressing concerns about truck traffic on Liverpool and 61st, nighttime lighting, noise (including brake noise), and the durability and maintenance of vinyl fencing used for buffers. Residents asked for clarity about permitted uses and urged the commission to prevent another data center in the area; one resident asked the commission to "remove data center in any similar language that could later be interpreted to allow 1 in this PDC." Another resident said she feared increased truck traffic and higher taxes.
In response, the developer said the site lacks capacity for a large data center, stated there was no intention to build one, and agreed to strike the data‑center language from the PUD packet. The petitioner also offered a fence, berm and additional landscape buffering, and said it would work with staff to identify a more durable fence type and evergreen plantings. Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to recommend approval to the council conditioned on removing data center verbiage and directing the petitioner to coordinate with staff on screening and buffering; the motion carried.
