Local opposition to data centers mounts as Kansas City rejects one unanimously

Moves by local communities to halt AI data centers coincided in the United States and Britain this week. The city council in Kansas City, Missouri, has reportedly voted unanimously against a plan to demolish a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places to build a data center. In Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, 75 groups have reportedly called a march against at least 23 data centers planned across Scotland. Money and electricity alone are no longer enough to get the computing sites that power AI built.

For Japanese companies: Most companies are not directly affected. Those that are include real estate, construction and power companies with plans for data center sites or buildings. As part of this quarter's planning review, they should check that community outreach and the handling of older buildings and the local landscape are settled at the earliest stage of each project.

Kansas City: plan to demolish a historic building rejected unanimously

According to a newsletter from Historic Kansas City, a local group that campaigns to preserve historic buildings, the Kansas City council unanimously rejected a plan to tear down a historic building to build a data center. The building is reportedly listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The key point is that the opposition was reportedly unanimous, not limited to a few council members. Many local governments have courted data centers for the tax revenue and construction jobs they bring. Even so, the council collectively refused to approve one if it meant destroying part of the city's history.

Edinburgh: 75 groups oppose more than 23 projects

According to the local newspaper Edinburgh News, 75 groups announced a large march in Edinburgh against AI data centers. Their opposition reportedly targets at least 23 data center sites planned across Scotland.

Unlike Kansas City, the campaign targets many projects across the country together rather than one project in one city. In the US, a council vote stopped the project; in Britain, groups are joining forces and taking to the streets. The methods differ, but in both places local communities are no longer simply accepting buildings for AI.

Why the same week?

AI companies are rushing to add data centers to train and run their models. But every building has to go up in some town, and it is the people who live there who bear the burden on power, water, land and the landscape.

The industry is aware of this friction. OpenAI will begin lobbying the post-midterm Congress to rebrand data centers as "AI compute campuses" and to support "community agreements" between states and localities, Axios reported on November 1. If companies have to change the name and strike deals with local communities, it means sites to build on are getting harder to secure.

Council deliberations and votes on data centers are continuing in other US cities. Kansas City's unanimous vote could be cited as a precedent by opponents in those proceedings.

What has not been confirmed

This article is based on two reports; we were unable to consult primary sources such as council minutes or the groups' statements. The plan rejected in Kansas City would have demolished the Western Newspaper Union Building, built in 1900 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, to build a 384-foot, 20-story data center tower; the vote took place at the city council on November 13. The name of the developer and the size of the investment have not been confirmed. The Edinburgh report covers the announcement of the march; the turnout at the march actually held on November 14, and the names and operators of the 23 sites, have not been confirmed. We also could not find any response from the Scottish or UK governments.