The Wall Street Journal reports NorthPoint Development offered $10,000 each to 4,500 Hazle Township households if it can build the first of 15 data centers there. Most residents are uninterested; many cite potential property-value losses.
The proposed checks would total $45 million, while Hazle Township’s median annual household income is about $60,000. The Journal says data-center developers increasingly offer towns packages worth tens of millions for fire departments, emergency services and schools; NorthPoint also sponsored amusement-park rides at a local festival.
A Washington Post feature counted nearly 100 U.S. hyperscale data centers, 120 under construction and 460 planned. The article says they consume at least 100 megawatts at peak, enough to power about 80,000 homes. About 60% of the land for these projects came from clearing forests or farms; developers’ own power-generation proposals can address grid concerns but require more acreage.
