A massive Amazon data center already being built on Gilroy’s eastern edge has become a flashpoint over how much say residents get before Silicon Valley’s next wave of tech infrastructure arrives in their backyards.
The project, expected to begin operating by the end of the year, never went before the Gilroy City Council because the land had already been zoned for heavy industrial use. But many residents say they learned about the data center only after construction began.
Amazon and city officials, however, say the company followed the rules and has gone above and beyond to offset the project’s water and energy impacts.
“We believe we built a solution that fits the community,” said Roger Wehner, vice president of Economic Development at Amazon Web Services, at a meeting Wednesday night to discuss its plans for the data center. “We’ve made every effort to not just meet but exceed the requirements about transparency, and I think tonight is an example of that.”
Data centers have faced a growing backlash around the country as residents complain about the tech facilities’ higher electricity demand, strain on local utilities and water supplies, and a lack of transparency from the companies that build them.
