Data center developer offers De Soto, Kansas, households $1,000 a year
Digital Realty is offering every household in De Soto, Kansas, up to $1,000 a year for 10 years as it plans a data center there, KSHB 41 and KCTV5 reported. The credits would help with utility bills and property taxes. Some neighbors are skeptical, and one called the offer a bribe.
Digital Realty, the company behind a planned data center in De Soto, Kansas, says it will give every household in the city a yearly credit of up to $1,000 for the next 10 years, KSHB 41 and KCTV5 reported.
The credits are meant for property tax and utility relief, the outlets reported. KSHB said the company plans to invest $20 million in a community fund in the form of direct relief for residents. CBS News reported that the credits are part of a $20 million community investment.
Digital Realty is preparing a 300-acre site at Astra Enterprise Park near the Panasonic plant, and construction is expected to start in 2027, KSHB reported. CBS News put the site at 280 acres. The data center has not been fully approved, KCTV5 reported. A TIF district public hearing is expected at the city council meeting on Nov. 19, KSHB said.
Some neighbors are skeptical. "It's a bribe, is what it looks like," Toni Caldwell told KSHB. "Is that enough?" Sara VanDeCreek said, according to KSHB. "How much is the value of our community?" KSHB reported that the two have spoken out against both of De Soto's data center projects and helped launch a petition to block the development, which has more than 400 signatures.
Sherelle Witt, a local real estate agent, told KCTV5 the offer is "almost an admission that it is going to affect the residents in some way or another." Abby Baker, who has worked with other local mothers to raise concerns about data centers, told KCTV5 that residents should read the development agreement.
A Digital Realty spokesperson told KSHB the commitment is "designed to deliver tangible benefits for De Soto residents while we invest for the long term." Mayor Rick Walker said the plan invests "directly in the people who call De Soto home," KSHB reported. The city is helping distribute the payments, but no money is expected to come from its general revenue fund, KSHB said.
A recent CBS News poll found that more Americans oppose than favor building a new data center in their area, CBS News reported.
What we know: Digital Realty is offering De Soto households up to $1,000 a year for 10 years as it plans a data center.
What we don't: Whether the city will approve incentives for the project; a TIF hearing is expected Nov. 19.
Where outlets agree KSHB 41 and KCTV5 both report that Digital Realty is offering De Soto households $1,000 a year for 10 years as it plans a data center.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.