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Digital Realty gives informational pitch for TIF‑backed data center at Astra Enterprise Park
Summary
Digital Realty and Sunflower Redevelopment presented an informational overview of a proposed data‑center campus in Astra Enterprise Park, described the site's TIF history and remediation, and said the project's initial phase involves multi‑billion‑dollar infrastructure investment; councilors asked about benchmarks, end users and timing.
Representatives of Digital Realty and Sunflower Redevelopment (SRL) presented an informational overview of a proposed data‑center campus at Astra Enterprise Park. Digital Realty's site‑selection director, Matt Scholtes, described the site as a top choice because of existing zoning, size and infrastructure, and said the company would use the city's existing TIF program to advance infrastructure improvements with no immediate increase in current tax rates.
Bob Johnson of SRL gave a historical overview of the TIF district at the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant, saying tax increment financing enabled remediation and infrastructure that attracted major projects such as Panasonic. Johnson told the council the TIF process is designed to reimburse statutorily eligible costs such as remediation, site preparation and infrastructure and that project‑specific TIF project plans would return to the council for public hearings and adoption.
During Q&A, council members asked about performance benchmarks, milestones, investment and employee numbers; a presenter referenced an initial phase in the multi‑billion‑dollar range and an approximate early‑phase employee count in the low hundreds. Presenters said detailed project‑plan milestones, reimbursement levels and the identity of end users would be provided later in the development‑agreement and TIF plan process and that negotiations with potential users were ongoing.
