BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Could a data center be coming to Broken Arrow?
The Broken Arrow Economic Development Corporation said a prospective company reached out about possibly building in the area.
City leaders said the area in question is 51-acre tract of undeveloped privately owned land situated between the Creek Turnpike and State Highway 51 at 8521 S. 209th East Avenue.
BAEDC is the initial point of contact for industries interested in Broken Arrow. It works with businesses while the city focuses on governance, planning, and decision-making.
“When a company expresses interest in Broken Arrow, our responsibility is to gather information and offer objective guidance so community leaders can make well-informed decisions. We act as a bridge between prospective companies and Broken Arrow,” said James Bell, President & CEO of the BAEDC. “We work to understand a company’s needs while keeping Broken Arrow’s vision at the forefront. Every step ensures the right fit for our community, and we partner with the City throughout.”
The organization is providing guidance to the prospective company.
This is the first step towards a data center coming to Broken Arrow, but there are still a lot of moving parts.
On April 21st, the company asked for a 'pre-development' meeting to ask questions of the city about zoning, standards and regulations, and other things pertaining to the project. This meeting is expected in the next few months. It is not open to the public as typical of such meetings.
“It is very early in the process, so we don’t have a lot of details just yet,” said City Manager Michael Spurgeon. “However, we do recognize the significant interest in data centers and the concerns citizens have about the potential impacts related to noise pollution, utility usages including water and electricity, and the environment. I assure Broken Arrow residents that as soon as we learn details, we will share them accordingly. Furthermore, and I want to be perfectly clear on this matter, no City Councilor, myself, or members of my staff have been asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement about this potential project, and we will not sign an NDA.”
City leaders said they know data centers bring a lot of questions from citizens and said they're working to remain as transparent as possible in the process. They released a current status of the project:
- The prospective company of the data center is unknown at this time.
- No non-disclosure agreements have been signed about this potential project and will not be signed.
- No member of the City Council or the City Manager has met with representatives of the prospective company at this time.
- No incentives or assistance from the City for the project have been discussed, requested, or agreed to.
- No Economic Development Agreement for the project has been discussed or signed.
- Should the project proposal move beyond a pre-development meeting, any subsequent considerations to approve applications related to the project, i.e., rezoning request, etc., would be made during a meeting(s) open to the public.
So, what are the next steps?
The City of Broken Arrow and the Economic Development Corporation begin a due diligence process. This includes a comprehensive review of infrastructure needs to support the project, coordination with the electric service provider on potential electrical impacts, coordination with Rural Water District No. 4 on water service capacity, and an evaluation of all relevant considerations, including infrastructure capacity, environmental factors, and public safety.
The site of the potential development is currently zoned Agricultural. A request to rezone the land to Industrial Light would be required and presented in a public hearing at a Planning Commission meeting. If the Planning Commission recommends moving forward, the request would be presented at a public hearing at a City Council meeting.
“As is the case with every potential and formal development proposal presented to us, our number one priority is the health, safety, and wellness of our citizens. Therefore, the City Council, myself, and my leadership team are committed to being your advocates and ensuring this potential proposal, like all proposals, meets or exceeds the requirements of our ordinances and engineering design standards, and would be a benefit to our community and the tremendous quality of life we enjoy in Broken Arrow,” said Mr. Spurgeon.
2 News Oklahoma's Broken Arrow reporter Emma Burch is going to keep on this process and updated as it develops.
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