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Working Session on Gateway 1: Picking the Land & Getting Permits
April 29 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT
Halt the Harm Network participants are invited to a special working session on Site Selection & Land Use.
The very first step where big data center projects decide where they’re going to build. This is when they deal with zoning, buying land, and getting the first permits.
Read more about Site Selection
Before a data center is ever announced publicly, developers are already quietly buying up land. They use anonymous LLCs and real estate brokers to approach landowners without revealing who’s really buying. Their goal is simple: lock up the land before anyone notices or objects.
This is the “quiet phase” is when communities have the most power but the least awareness. Without land, no data center can be built. That’s why smart communities are watching public land records, passing temporary moratoriums, and updating zoning rules to require stricter standards for industrial projects.
Early opposition matters. Developers are betting millions on these projects, and any sign of community resistance makes them nervous.
The earlier you organize, the more leverage you have.
About these Working Sessions
These sessions are part of a network project addressing the harms of bad data centers.
The format is a facilitated Zoom call to share on-the-ground experience, tools, resources, and information. The outcome is a collection of refined tools and knowledge the whole network can use. As a participant you can access the shared document for notes and resources.