Data center park developer Tract is seeking to establish a second site outside Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The company, which develops land that other companies can build data centers on, has plans for a 447-acre site in Rosemount, a city in Dakota County just south of Minneapolis.
Tract has confirmed the plans to BizJournals, and said it is in the early stages of working with the local municipality – the proposal is currently undergoing environmental review with the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board.
There are currently few details available on the scope of the project. The company is reportedly looking at two options; a 2.3 million-square-foot technology park or a 2.5 million-square-foot light industrial center. Construction is expected to start later this year.
“Tract partners with local communities to develop data center campuses that bring significant investment, property taxes, and good paying jobs without a lot of new truck traffic or impact on local services," Graham Williams, Tract's chief investment officer, told the publication. He also noted that the company is "studying multiple masterplan concepts to drive value to the community while mitigating other impacts.”
Colorado-based Tract was founded by former Cologix CEO Grant van Rooyen and describes itself as a company that acquires, zones, entitles, and develops ‘master-planned’ data center parks.
After launching in Nevada, Tract has plans for large-scale campuses across Texas, Virginia, Arizona, and Utah.
This would be Tract’s second project in the Minneapolis area. The company is also seeking to develop another site in nearby Farmington and redevelop a former golf course into a 343-acre campus that could host up to a dozen data center buildings totaling 2.53 million sq ft (235,000 sqm). Though approved by local officials, the project is subject to a legal challenge from residents.