Harwood ND AI business

[Davy Crockett]

(Harwood, ND) — Harwood residents aren’t supporting the construction of a new AI data center in the area. Concerns and frustrations were expressed during a town hall meeting this week regarding Applied Digital Corporation’s three-billion-dollar development. Residents accuse city officials of a lack of transparency regarding the project, as the proposal wasn’t announced until last week, less than a month before crews are expected to break ground. Applied Digital Corporation claims the data center will add 250 jobs to the area. Harwood Mayor Blake Hankey says council members will vote on whether to approve the facility sometime in September.

 

[Browneye]

Residents of that area should be on the lookout for council members making plans to build new houses or make big purchases in the future. Seems like a common tactic for stake holders in contentious projects like that for them to grease the skids so to speak by trying to bribe city commissioners, country commissioners and board members to vote the right way to get approval.

 

[Rut2much]

A unanimous vote from the people affected should have the say, end of story. Hope they fight and win!

 

[double account removed]

hmmm nope trump is doing what we elected him to do just ask our reps we voted for this its too late libs

 

[Davy Crockett]

Nice conspiracy theory, but really just bad timing. Minnkota Power raised their electric rates at their annual meeting in February, for the first time in over a decade. It is up to the local electric coops to set the rates for you, their customer.

I'd bet the farm that Minnkota knew this project was a go way before their February meeting. By at least a year , maybe two. These projects don't just spring up in 6 months .

 

[tikkalover]

250 jobs to construct it or that's what it takes to operate one after its built?

And I'm going to guess it's already been approved by the mayor and council.

 

[wslayer]

250 jobs to construct it or that's what it takes to operate one after its built?

And I'm going to guess it's already been approved by the mayor and council.

Thought that was one of the main gigs when up and running is that they didn't need much of a staff ? Don't know . . .

 

[NodakBob]

I heard several thousand construction jobs, dropping to a coupla hundred to operate

 

[Jignjerk]

250 jobs to construct it or that's what it takes to operate one after its built?

And I'm going to guess it's already been approved by the mayor and council.

I’ve been out in Virginia the last several weeks working on a data center. The scale of these things is simply insane. The amount of skilled/unskilled labor on site 6 days a week is astronomical. The resources that they need is crazy. The garbage roll off company alone was dropping 30 new rolloffs a day and collecting the other 30 full, 6 days a week. My employer is very heavily involved in the data center market and from what I can see the goal isn’t to have 1 or 2 in an area. It’s to cover every acre available. Also to be noted is the technology is changing by the day, talking to a few google guys on our site, they already have 6 more planned on the site we are currently building because by the time we are done building this one, there will be newer technology and they will need to expand.

Typically these sites are built for an “end user” as it sits this site does not have on locked down. EX: google, meta, etc. kinda like if you build it they will come.

 

[shorthairsrus]

Just like the car washes. People throwing money at em until they overbuild.

 

[deleted user]

I know a network tech at a 100 megawatt site in another state. He said there are around a dozen employees and a few contractors doing security and random repairs.

 

[Ruttin]

From what I understand the area where it is being built is in Fargo's ETZ area. P&Z will approve it, the council will approve it and it will be built. The hell with what the people want

 

[Davy Crockett]

Has anyone heard how far west of Harwood the alternate location is ? My boy lives in rural Harwood this location is 2 miles from his place . He was surprised that the residents didn't know about this till it hit the news stands. He hadn't formed an opinion before the meeting but he was going to zoom the meeting and the zoom was cancelled so that's already two red flags.

 

[Davy Crockett]

From what I understand the area where it is being built is in Fargo's ETZ area. P&Z will approve it, the council will approve it and it will be built. The hell with what the people want

That's good information and the rabbit hole gets deeper , makes me wonder why Fargo didn't host the meeting since it seems like they have control of the property. Seems like they threw a hot potato to Harwood.



The Fargo Extraterritorial Zone (ETZ) is the area up to four miles beyond the city limits where the City of Fargo, North Dakota, has zoning authority. This allows Fargo to control development in the surrounding unincorporated areas to ensure it aligns with the city's future growth plans.
What the Fargo ETZ means

• Extent: Fargo's ETZ extends four miles from its corporate boundaries because, under state law, cities with a population of 25,000 or more are granted this extended zoning authority.
• Purpose: The ETZ helps the city manage growth and prevents incompatible development from occurring in adjacent unincorporated areas. This ensures a smoother integration of new developments should the city decide to annex the land in the future.
• Development control: Any new subdivisions or construction projects within the ETZ must comply with the City of Fargo's zoning and planning regulations. This includes meeting city requirements for lot sizes, setbacks, and infrastructure.
• Comparison to other areas: In North Dakota, the size of a city's ETZ is determined by its population. For instance, smaller cities with a population between 5,000 and 24,999 have a two-mile ETZ, while those under 5,000 have a one-mile ETZ.

Where to find information
Because the ETZ is an area subject to municipal planning, individuals and developers can find detailed information on the official website for the Fargo Department of Planning and Development. For specific properties or projects, contacting the department is the best way to determine zoning and planning requirements.

 

[guywhofishes]

 

[Davy Crockett]

WOW , It's right in the bylaws that they have authority. I thought I read where Harwood council was going to vote ? Probably be voting whether or not to fight this in court.

 

[tikkalover]

With most city governments and city councils it’s “our way or the highway” like it and keep your mouth shut or move.

 

[Jiffy]

Ask the majority of Ellendonians what they think about their’s.

I’d move

 

[Ruttin]

Applied Digital has very few employees that live in Ellendale from my understanding. Most of them are commuting from Aberdeen and Jamestown.

 

[Zogman]

With most city governments and city councils it’s “our way or the highway” like it and keep your mouth shut or move.

Very true even more so in the bigger ones. ie the Metro, the Grand Cities.