Rocky View council rejects proposal for data centre development on farm land

Rocky View County has voted to reject a plan to develop farm land northeast of Calgary into a large data centre complex.

Some Balzac residents continued their fight Tuesday against the company requesting approval from the county to build the large technology park on prime farming land.

Kineticor, the applicant, is proposing the 1,100-acre Area Structure Plan for the use of large-scale technology infrastructure north of Highway 566 and west of Range Road 281. 

Late Tuesday, Rocky View County council returned with a 6-1 vote, rejecting the company’s plan.

It was a plan that Kineticor said would bring in revenue to the area.

“Our sites are sustainable, they’re quiet, and have positive reception within the communities in which we operate,” says Head of Corporate Development Taylor Hammond. “We want to partner and address any of the potential concerns there might be and have a successful project.”

Enrico Capelletto is a 20-year Balzac resident who agrees the proposed project could bring along some perks.

“There is financial viability, increased tax revenue for the MD, and supporting AI and any infrastructure that is clearly lacking in this part of Alberta,” he says.

Wayne Shuttleworth is a farmer in the area who says the plan was foisted upon residents with an unrealistic review date of only 84 days during the busiest time of the year, harvest. 

“There’s going to be noise, dust, run-off, a number of things that are negatively going to impact agriculture around that data park,” says Shuttleworth.

Another fourth-generation Balzac farmer says they didn’t know about the project until May.

“We’re now in June, July, August, September. Four months in, barely four months in,” says Alex.

The $10 billion project would generate more than $14 million of local tax revenue and support value-added agricultural opportunities, according to Kineticor.

Keith Jones, a landowner, supports the project. He says he initially had his own questions as well.

“I think what happens is that it speaks to the credibility of the folks that are coming forward with this project; their track record is to be able to move on these projects quickly,” says Jones.

If it was approved, construction on the new data complex could have started as early as this fall.