A group of Farmington residents is suing the city in an attempt to stop a cluster of data centers from being constructed near their neighborhoods. An injunction filed Nov. 29 has paused negotiations between the city of Farmington and data center developer Tract, but residents hope to put a permanent stop to the data center park. The Farmington City Council recently approved a final plat and planned-unit development for Tract to build up to 12 data center buildings spanning more than 2.5 million square feet across 340 acres. At full buildout, Tract expects the project to approach $5 billion. Denver-based Tract plans to build the Farmington Technology Park at the Fountain Valley Golf Club property at 2830 W. 220th St. and two nearby properties that were annexed into the city of Farmington from Castle Rock Township and are now owned by Independent School District 192, according to city documents. Tract, a data center developer, is interested in some 343 acres of land in Dakota County to construct the Farmington Technology Park, which could include up to 12 data centers. In an attempt to stop the project, Farmington residents filed a lawsuit against the city Nov. 29, 2024. (Courtesy of Tract) The parcels, located near the intersection of Minnesota 50/220th Street West and Minnesota 3/Chippendale Avenue West, were rezoned from a variety of uses to mixed-use commercial industrial, which allows data centers. Residents continued to voice their concerns about the location of the project in between two established neighborhoods, but increasingly felt shut out, said Gary Johnson, one of the plaintiffs. “The mayor said, ‘If you don’t like it, move,'” said his wife and co-plaintiff, Cathy Johnson. “We were completely ignored.” The Johnsons, who live near the site, have concerns about the potential data center’s proximity to their property given the site plan’s proposed setback “of at least 250 feet from all property lines.” They’re also concerned about the 80-foot-tall data center buildings that Tract requested a height variance for. The maximum height for a mixed-use commercial industrial zoning district without a variance is 40 feet tall, said Tony Wippler, planning manager for Farmington, in an email. The tallest building in Farmington currently is the nearly 80-foot Feely grain elevator, Wippler said, which is located near Second and Spruce streets in downtown Farmington. “We turned to an attorney because we are being shut out and basically ignored,” Gary Johnson said. Township agreement The lawsuit alleges that if the project moves forward, it will negatively impact the physical and mental wellbeing of nearby residents, worsen air quality and noise pollution and result in “unprecedented water usage and electricity,” according to court documents. Represented by Chris Renz of Minneapolis law firm Chestnut Cambronne, the plaintiffs in the suit include a handful of Farmington residents and the Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development, a group of more than 350 nearby residents who are “concerned about the proposed technology park,” according to the group’s Facebook page. One of the main points in the lawsuit alleges that Farmington officials were prohibited from rezoning the parcels without consent from Castle Rock Township due to the Orderly Annexation Agreement. In an Oct. 17 letter to the Metropolitan Council, which must approve the rezoning, the attorney for Castle Rock Township, Andrew Tiede, wrote, “The Town requests that the Metropolitan Council deny this proposed zoning change that the City of Farmington is requesting approval for because it is prohibited by an agreement between the Town and the City and has a number of other adverse effects on the local area and residents.” Tiede, who did not return a request for comment, cites the following language from the annexation agreement: “With regard to any proposed industrial or commercial use of property, the Planning Commission and/or the City Council of the City of Farmington shall not adopt an initial Comprehensive Plan designation for any property located within the Annexation Area, or subsequently modify, change, or alter in any way that initial Comprehensive Plan designation, without the consent of the Town Board, which consent may not be unreasonably withheld,” the agreement states. “They did not follow the direction of the OAA,” said Drea Doffing, a plaintiff who has lived in the area for more than 30 years. “If we didn’t rise and state the facts and what’s really going on, the city would just get by with what they’re doing,” she said. Officials from the city of Farmington declined to comment on the active lawsuit. The plaintiffs also allege that Tract has “a proven history of preying on unsuspecting small municipalities in states that have no regulation on the data center building industry,” according to court documents. The plaintiffs say they fear the cost of constructing and implementing the needed infrastructure will fall on residents, not the developer. When asked for comment, Tract shared this statement: Related Articles Business | Actor Kristen Bell donates over $24,000 to Hastings man with leukemia Business | Eagan nurse pushes for research on hereditary genetic mutation she carries Business | Burnsville clinic that served underinsured closes after merger Business | Photos: Bald eagles and bird watchers flock to South St. Paul Business | Hastings man who threatened to kill deputy police chief sentenced to 90 days in jail “While we do not comment on ongoing litigation, the statement noted from the complaint is untrue, not based on any evidence and is contrary to Tract’s business ethos and track record in the markets in which it is or intends to operate. We firmly stand behind the fact that in Farmington, there was a full, open, transparent, and fair hearing about this project, followed by the Planning Commission and City Council voting twice to approve this project by overwhelming majorities. As discussed in the public process, the project is expected to bring hundreds of good jobs to the area and generate significant new taxes that will fund new services while reducing the tax burden on local residents, with a particular benefit for the Farmington Public School District.” Castle Rock Township plans to host a meeting Tuesday night to engage public opinion on whether to initiate a suit against Farmington regarding the data center. The Farmington City Council and Castle Rock Township board are expected to meet on Jan. 30, Doffing said.