Property development firm Oppidan and Rockport LLC is proposing to build a technology park in Apple Valley in Dakota County, Minnesota.
Rockport LLC owns the property, which is located between Flagstaff Avenue, 150th Street, Pilot Knob Road, and the future 155th/153rd streets.
According to city filings, the company is proposing to build seven buildings, with a total building area of around 1 million sq ft (92,900 sqm), in a phased development. Five of these buildings would be data center facilities.
Further details of the facilities have not been shared.
A public hearing was held on February 5, 2025, though a decision has not yet been made. The company will now await a conditional use permit from the planning commission, metropolitan council, and city council, to change the zoning from “Sand and Gravel” to “Industrial”.
In December, Rockport LLC submitted an Alternative Urban Areawide Review, which was approved by the city. The review considers potential land uses, but it is only the start of an extensive process to approve the data center development.
The review noted that concerns about noise impact would be mitigated by placing the structures below the adjacent roadway grade and incorporating berms, walls, landscaping, and other features.
Rockport LLC had previously tried to amend the land parcel from “Sand and Gravel” to “Retail Business” and “Limited Business” in 2022. This plan was rejected.
This is the third large-scale data center development in the area. Meta is currently building a 715,000 sq ft (66,425 sqm) data center in Rosemount, and Tract proposed a 2.5 million sq ft (232,257 sqm) data center in Farmington, but it is currently on hold due to an injunction with two lawsuits opposing the development.
Oppidan has had a busy few months. Also in Minnesota, the investment firm is planning a 5MW data center on YMCA land in Eagan. Elsewhere, the company has filed for a 5MW data center in El Paso, Texas, and broke ground on a Chicago data center in November last year.
In 2023, the company filed to develop a 990,000 sq ft (92,000 sqm) data center in Memphis, Tennessee, set to be operational this year.
