Harwood Mayor Blake Hankey speaks during public hearing on data center
HARWOOD, N.D. (KFGO) – The city of Harwood is moving forward with the construction of Dallas-based Applied Digital’s proposed $3 billion data center south of town.
With a unanimous vote, the Harwood Planning and Zoning Board and City Council approved the rezoning process for the land where the center would be built. Many in attendance expressed their frustrations with the city’s handling of the project.
In over an hour of public comment, some raised concerns over pollution, how close the industrial building would be to residential areas, and the construction’s removal of habitat for endangered species like the rusty patched bumblebee.
Three people against the project were removed.
The City and Applied Digital maintained that construction plans followed state and federal laws.
Harwood Mayor Blake Hankey.
“If someone wants to build here in Harwood, and they’re following all state and federal laws, that is something our policy has been to allow as long as they’re not breaking any state or federal law. If they’re complying with both, that’s historically been good enough for the city,” Mayor Blake Hankey says.
Harwood also voted to oppose the City of Fargo’s annexation plan for land where the data center will be built. One person who voted to rezone the land cited that if Harwood doesn’t continue with construction of the 900,000 square foot project, Fargo will.
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