Plans for a proposed data center in Palm Beach County hit a major roadblock Wednesday after county commissioners rejected a zoning application that would have allowed the project’s development.
At the end of a 12-hour hearing, officials voted 5-1 to deny an amended zoning application that would have permitted for a 1 million-square-foot data center at 20125 State Road 80/Southern Boulevard, the South Florida Business Journal reported. The project also would have included 2.3 million square feet of warehouses and 216,000 square feet for minor utility use.
Plans for Central Park Commerce Center, also known as Project Tango, were filed in November last year by PBA Holdings Inc. and WPB Logistics Owner LLC. Those entities have since fallen into litigation, the publication said. PBA Holdings alone submitted the application that was rejected Wednesday.
Records show PBA Holdings is a joint venture between Palm Beach Aggregates LLC, Tennessee-based Phillips Inc., Michael S. Klein of Seattle and New York-based Ogden Cap Properties LLC. PBA Holdings owns about 130 acres of the approximate 200-acre parcel assembled in the application.
Hundreds of community members and more than 80 public speakers attended the hearing, and many urged the county to deny the proposal. Commissioners cited concerns about the data center’s potential impacts on local infrastructure and surrounding communities.
The motion was made without prejudice, meaning the developer can resubmit a similar proposal. PBA Holdings already secured approval for 2 million square feet of warehouses on the site and could pursue data centers through a separate administrative process, the outlet said.
The rejection came after Palm Beach County voted earlier this month to pause new data center proposals as officials decide how to regulate them. County commissioners approved two motions, one that advanced a temporary law halting data center applications and another that immediately prevented developers from submitting new proposals.
As AI fuels demand for data center facilities, developers have jumped to take advantage of the growing asset class. But concerns about their impact on the power supply, environmental resources and local communities have contributed to a nationwide push for stricter oversight. Lawmakers in at least 11 states have introduced legislation that would temporarily ban data centers, according to Brookings.
So far, South Florida hasn’t seen many data center projects due to the state’s flood and hurricane risk, according to the South Florida Business Journal.
—Grace McClung
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