The Genesee County Economic Development Center's Board of Directors will likely vote this week on advancing a proposal for a new data center at the Science, Technology & Advanced Manufacturing Park, with opponents of the project continuing to voice concerns over the project.
The Genesee County Economic Development Center staff and the STAMP technical team - which is comprised of legal, engineering and environmental professionals - are recommending that the GCEDC Board of Directors advance the proposal from Texas-based STREAM US Data Centers, LLC to build a new data center at the STAMP site, said Mark Masse, GCEDC president.
The proposal contains tax breaks, including sales and mortgage tax exemptions, for the project.
Masse noted that the team assessed several factors in its recommendation to the board, including a review of responses and concerns at a Feb. 3 public hearing.
Additionally, the group considered factors including the number of jobs created and the footprint of the project, which was one of three data center proposals that the GCEDC received.
"Staff ultimately concluded, in close consultation with the technical team, that STREAM US Data Centers, LLC project had the fewest impacts, particularly from an environmental standpoint, and provided the best overall fit at the STAMP site," he said.
The project has faced opposition from residents.
At last month's public hearing, dozens of speakers voiced concerns about environmental harms, quality of life issues, impacts to the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, misallocation of taxpayer dollars and misuse of low-cost hydropower, as well the agency's repeated refusal to answer basic questions about the project applicants.
Additionally, those opposing the project say it would be sited on a parcel of land characterized by wetlands and located immediately adjacent to the Reservation Territory of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, whose Council of Chiefs opposes STAMP.
The STAMP Committee will review the recommendations at its meeting on Wednesday, March 5. If approved there, it will be advanced to the full board on Thursday, March 6.
Located in Alabama, STAMP is a 1,250-acre site intended to attract businesses in the semiconductor and renewable energy sectors.