Pioneer Press reports on a data enter in Dakota County…

A group of Farmington residents is suing the city in an attempt to stop a cluster of data centers from being constructed near their neighborhoods.

An injunction filed Nov. 29 has paused negotiations between the city of Farmington and data center developer Tract, but residents hope to put a permanent stop to the data center park.

The Farmington City Council recently approved a final plat and planned-unit development for Tract to build up to 12 data center buildings spanning more than 2.5 million square feet across 340 acres. At full buildout, Tract expects the project to approach $5 billion.

It’s interesting to see the community’s reaction to the proposed data center…

The lawsuit alleges that if the project moves forward, it will negatively impact the physical and mental wellbeing of nearby residents, worsen air quality and noise pollution and result in “unprecedented water usage and electricity,” according to court documents.

Represented by Chris Renz of Minneapolis law firm Chestnut Cambronne, the plaintiffs in the suit include a handful of Farmington residents and the Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development, a group of more than 350 nearby residents who are “concerned about the proposed technology park,” according to the group’s Facebook page.

One of the main points in the lawsuit alleges that Farmington officials were prohibited from rezoning the parcels without consent from Castle Rock Township due to the Orderly Annexation Agreement.