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Owner and consultants pitch repurposing former cultivation site as a small AI data center
Summary
Michael Ward and advisor Phil de Vries told commissioners a 33,000-square-foot facility at 2839 Full Circle Drive could be repurposed as a small AI inference data center; they provided project numbers and invited site tours while urging the city to study the specific proposal rather than conflating it with hyperscale campuses.
Michael Ward, who said he purchased 2839 Full Circle Drive from the city and invested millions to build a 33,000-square-foot cultivation and processing facility, asked commissioners to study the possibility of repurposing the site into a small AI inference data center rather than letting the existing investment become underutilized.
"We have an opportunity to repurpose this facility into a small AI inference data center and create substantial greater long term economic value for the city," Ward said, urging the commission to consider the site's existing infrastructure and the difference between a small, site-specific project and hyperscale campuses.
Phil de Vries, who said he advised the project, provided financial and technical context: he described the facility as a purpose-built building representing about a $20,000,000 investment, with roughly $7,500,000 allocated to HVAC and a design around 15 megawatts—far smaller than hyperscale projects planned at 500 megawatts or more. He urged the city to study the specific proposal and offered a tour of the site for commissioners and residents.
Both Ward and de Vries asked the commission to avoid conflating the proposal with large hyperscale campuses and asked staff to study local impacts, infrastructure needs and regulatory implications before any permitting decisions.
