Hundreds show up at Pittsburg City Council meeting opposing data center development

PITTSBURG, Calif. -- More than 300 Pittsburg residents showed up to Monday's City Council meeting in support of banning a data center development that the city approved in 2024.

More than 100 public comments opposing the data center were made by Pittsburg Unified School District teachers and leaders, the progressive activist group Indivisible Resisters Contra Costa, community leaders, and parents.

Lifelong resident Mark Linde, 68, has been organizing residents through the Nextdoor social media platform in recent weeks to voice their frustrations over the city's decision to approve the data center.

Linde has known about the data center development since 2018 and attended countless meetings where he raised concerns about the lack of resident input in the decision.

He asked the council to approve a two-year moratorium on the data center development and to create a citizens' oversight committee.

The three-story, 300-square-foot data center will generate 96 megawatts of power, cooled by recycled water, and house 37 diesel-fueled backup generators.

The facility will occupy the former Delta View Golf Course and is the first approved project in a three-phase development known as the Pittsburg Technology Park -- a name that has drawn criticism from residents who say it is misleading.

The data center will be built at the former golf course near a busy intersection, a middle school, and sports courts along West Leland Road.

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In a phone interview, Jordan Davis, the director of community and economic development for the city, said tax revenue generated by the data center would help fund city programs and services, including road paving and youth soccer fields.

"These types of taxes are good for the community because the community does not need to pay them," Davis said. "It's revenue into the city to reinvest in the city."

When asked whether the city adequately communicated information about the development, Davis said the city went "above and beyond" to inform residents through public hearings and email blasts.

Amhari Perkins, a mother of two, created a Change.org petition to ban the data center that gained 13,000 signatures in one week.

Perkins said she only learned about the data center through a council member's Facebook post and heard similar concerns from neighbors who were unaware of the development.

During public comment, she asked the council to be transparent about the details of the project.

"Pittsburg is not just a small overlooked city. It is my home. It is a home where many families come together," Perkins said.

"Many of us are not asking for conflict, just meaningful communication."

Despite the city meeting legal requirements to notify the public by posting notices in public places, including the library and City Hall, many residents expressed frustration about learning of the data center years after the decision was approved.

Other residents questioned why the city approved the data center without fully engaging the broader community.

Nineteen-year-old Christina Webster criticized the council's decision to approve a data center that she said would increase water consumption and replace grasslands.

"Those mountains are never going to be green again," Webster said. "You are public servants. Serve the public!"

After two and a half hours of public comment, Mayor Dionne Adams said the council would follow up on residents' concerns and questions, though she did not provide a timeline.