COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — A planned data center — Project Lola — on the east side of Council Bluffs will be smaller than what was originally approved by Council Bluffs City Council last year, but it will still have a relatively large footprint near Iowa Western Community College.
- The original proposal was for 450,000 square feet and it's being amended to 285,000 square feet.
- Buildings originally proposed to be 80 feet tall will now be 36 feet tall.
- There will be a Mid-American Energy substation at the site.
WATCH KATRINA'S STORY HERE
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I’m your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel at Council Bluffs City Hall.
A new data center, sometimes referred to as Project Lola, was approved by the City of Council Bluffs a year ago, but it appeared on the council agenda again this week. It’s a big development, so I attended the city council meeting to learn more.
The council unanimously passed an amendment to the original plan, reducing the size of the project. It’s still substantial, though, at almost 300,000 square feet.
The data center will be located just off Kanesville Blvd. between the Iowa Western campus and I-80.
Courtney Harter, the Council Bluffs Community Development Director, told me over the phone that the data center will essentially rent server space to companies that need it.
One thing I noticed in the plans: these server farms use a lot of energy, and a substation for Mid-American Energy will be required on the site.
In Council Bluffs, I’m Katrina Markel.
