Neighbors for More Neighbors feedback on Minneapolis’s Data Center Regulations
To Whom It May Concern:
Neighbors for More Neighbors appreciates the careful consideration of the Data Center Regulations that have been put forward by the Community Planning and Economic Development team.
Given the current growth of new data centers - which may be a short-lived trend - and that data centers require significant land, energy expenditure, cooling infrastructure, and can create constant and detrimental noise for city residents, Neighbors for More Neighbors would like to express cautious support for the current plan for regulating this use case. Without new regulations for data centers, it is unclear how these use cases would currently be handled. Given the potential impacts on neighbors, specific regulation is needed for this use case.
We appreciate the callout for specific size limits to the scope of the building used, that this cannot be a primary use case, and that the building must already be in existence. We believe these are good considerations which will be beneficial in preventing this use case from competing with homes for space in our city.
We appreciate the specific recommendation for a sound attenuation plan. We have a concern as to how this sound is measured and if there is a consideration for low-frequency sound when measuring sound pollution resulting from this use case. Additionally, we support the limits in server room proximity to neighboring residents.
One data center at scale, sized for 100MW, can use as much energy as 85,000 homes per day. We appreciate that the plan calls out that the developer must coordinate with Xcel Energy to plan for their energy needs. We also appreciate that the city is carefully considering any needed updates for on-site energy generation. Generators are a significant portion of the ongoing noise, heat, and greenhouse gas pollution that are a part of the concern with Data Centers at scale.
We appreciate and support that the overlay district concept has been retired. We do not support adding Data Centers outside of Downtown districts.
Thank you to the members of staff who have listened to the significant feedback from residents. We encourage the passage of this plan as outlined as of September 28, 2026.
Sincerely,
Anna Nelson
Board Chair, Neighbors for More Neighbors
