About 200 Woodward residents filled the Woodward-Granger High School auditorium Monday night to learn about construction of a data center proposed by Microsoft Corp. in the business park on the town’s south side.
Woodward Mayor Todd Folkerts was joined by three Microsoft employees, Senior Community Affairs Director Sara Hansen, Land Development Director Jackie Nickolaus and Government Affairs Infrastructure Director Cloteal LaBroi, in a 90-minute session that addressed many of the community’s concerns.
Security at the event was tight. One impassioned opponent was forcibly removed from the gathering early on after he cursed at the Microsoft team and squared up majestically as if to offer them the show of violence.
Nickolaus said Microsoft closed Thursday on the purchase of about 600 acres of property zoned for industrial use in the Woodward Eco Business Park, which attained certified-site status in 2018.
Hansen said her company has never held a community event so early in the development process, and she wants to communicate fully with the residents of Woodward. Her contact information is [email protected] and 425-705-2709.
LaBroi said Microsoft will pay for all the infrastructure required by the data center, including water and sewer upgrades, roadway construction and paving, electricity infrastructure and the like. Although the design of the facility has not begun, a closed-loop cooling system would not impact the city’s water resources, she said, and the purchase of electricity directly from a wholesaler would not impact the city’s power grid or residential rates.
Folkerts said the city council would need to approve a development agreement with Microsoft before the plan moves forward. A site plan would also eventually need approval of the council. He said the data center would make a significant increase in the town’s tax base.
Residents raised concerns about the proposal’s effects on the environment and the quality of life on the community of about 1,300. Some questions showed an imperfect understanding of how industrial developments come about and what the city’s role entails.
About half-a-dozen protesters gathered outside the high school venue. They said they are also opposing data centers in Ames and Boone.
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