A new application has been submitted to city planners detailing a massive data center complex in West Lakeland. Because it is the first “hyperscale” project proposed within city limits, it is drawing significant scrutiny.
Kimley-Horn applied May 5 for concept plan review on behalf of Ryan Companies U.S. Inc.
“We’ve had meetings and informal discussions about this site and others,” Community and Economic Development Director Brian Rewis said, “but none that have gotten to this stage of comment and review.”
“All we are doing at this point is processing an application for conceptual development review,” Rewis said.
Rewis said data centers are not listed in the code. “To the reading of our own code, there is no comparable use to a data center,” he said. “Which means if it’s not allowed, it’s prohibited.”
That does not necessarily end the proposal. But it means the applicant would have to convince the city that the project fits an existing allowed use, seek zoning and land-use changes, or wait for the city to amend its code.
The concept is scheduled for discussion by city reviewers at a June 3 Development Review Team meeting.
That meeting is not open to the public or press. Rewis said it is an early staff review, not a public hearing or final decision.
- The Blueprint: Plans detail a 600,000-square-foot facility consisting of three data center buildings, large mechanical yards, stormwater management ponds, and an on-site electrical substation.
- The Footprint: The complex is planned for 60.5 acres of vacant land at 923 Wilkinson Road, right near Old Tampa Highway and adjacent to the city’s West Lakeland Wasteload Reduction Facility.
- The Hurdles: The project is in its infancy and faces immediate regulatory speed bumps. First, part of the land sits in unincorporated Polk County and must be annexed by Lakeland. Second, the current city code doesn’t explicitly account for data centers, meaning the developer will have to push for zoning and land-use amendments.
- The Missing Details: Because the ultimate tenant is hidden behind non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), the application leaves out critical environmental data. We do not yet know the facility’s projected water consumption, its exact power draw on the local grid, or the noise impacts of its massive cooling systems.
Local discussions are already comparing its footprint to the highly debated 4.4-million-square-foot data center project proposed down in Fort Meade, with residents weighing the trade-off of high resource consumption against low permanent job creation.