Data Center Developer Offers $10,000 Checks To Nearby Households (tomshardware.com)
- Reference: 0185890436
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/09/28/180249/data-center-developer-offers-10000-checks-to-nearby-households
- Source link: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/data-center-developer-offers-usd10-000-checks-to-4-500-households-if-the-1-300-acre-facility-is-approved-locals-push-back-over-noise-and-bribe-concerns
> NorthPoint Development wants to build a data center on 1,300 acres in the Pocono foothills, near Hazle Township, Pennsylvania. As well as seeking to charm the local government with various funding packages, it has [1]proposed paying checks of $10,000 per household . Despite the Pennsylvania town's median income of $60,000, the offer isn't being warmly welcomed by locals, reports the [2]Wall Street Journal . Those interviewed were widely against the data center development plans and cited several reasons for being averse to accepting the payout. The major concerns regarded potential impacts on property values, the specter of noise pollution, and a distrust of both the AI moguls and local government representatives.
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> Offer letters began to be received by Hazle Township back in June. The WSJ recently talked to several residents about NorthPoint's $10,000 offer. While some say the $10,000 would be handy, it couldn't find many residents who were "eager to welcome the data center for the payout," in the journal's words. [...] Traditionally, developers have offered towns and cities packages worth tens of millions, including funding for local services. But direct cash payments to residents represent a new phase of their charm offensive, the WSJ indicates. Perhaps the idea for the direct payments to residents came after "a raucous public meeting last year, where angry locals asked what they had to gain by supporting the data center," ponders the source.
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> The locals won't just get the direct payout, though. Other funds up to $120 million over the next 15 years have been dangled like a carrot for community and local services investments -- improved schools, emergency services, and so on. Meanwhile, Hazle Township's government already rejected the data center project on zoning grounds last year, and it has enacted a temporary moratorium on data center construction. Finally, the $10,000 offer to households is simply not enough in many interviewed folks' opinions. Residents could feel insulted by it, regarding the offer as a bribe, concludes the WSJ report.
[1] https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/data-center-developer-offers-usd10-000-checks-to-4-500-households-if-the-1-300-acre-facility-is-approved-locals-push-back-over-noise-and-bribe-concerns
[2] https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/every-household-in-this-rural-town-receives-10-000-if-a-data-center-gets-built-86554cb7
Underestimated The Cost of A Life (Score:3)
$10k is a little low. Pop a few more zeroes on the end of that and you may actually end up with some takers. Come on, everything's for sale. You just gotta stop lowballing us plebes.
Re: Underestimated The Cost of A Life (Score:2)
Irrelevant
Re: (Score:1)
Do you eat meat?
Re: (Score:1)
Well yes. How else would I get my pudding?
Re: Underestimated The Cost of A Life (Score:2)
Also irrelevant to the argument at hand
Learn to stay on topic
Re: (Score:2)
Q: How do you now if someone is a vegan?
A: Don't worry, they will tell you.
Re: (Score:3)
I don't think you quite understand the scale of the new AI data center build-outs. The new builds are requesting new total power plants/production of more than the current total installed base of power plants (in TX they have 3x the current installed base as new power) so basically they are going to double(or more) the current fuel consumption for power production of the entire US.
Because of the power consumption needs the new data centers are bringing their own baseload generators (gas turbines/diesel ge
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Meat does something useful.
It seems like a lot until you think about it (Score:5, Insightful)
Having a data center in the neighborhood is probably going to depress home prices at least in the immediate future. $10k is not a lot given the cost of housing these days. It is not like a data center is likely to bring much employment or value to the local people long term either.
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Show me a datacenter "in [a] neighborhood". Where do they go that's near any homes? I see them in industrial parks and on old farms.
A quick look at a map shows me that there is a lot of land near Hazle that isn't near any homes.
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As long as it is using your utilities and roads it is in the neighborhood. They would not be offering anything, if they did not think that it would help their case. Unfortunately for them, people do not want them, do not think that they are useful, and most people seem to hate AI, even when they use it.
Re: It seems like a lot until you think about it (Score:2)
Also as long as they are close enough for you to experience noise pollution, which is the case for some of these AI DCs already
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> As long as it is using your utilities and roads it is in the neighborhood. They would not be offering anything, if they did not think that it would help their case. Unfortunately for them, people do not want them, do not think that they are useful, and most people seem to hate AI, even when they use it.
A data center is like a flat windowless office building without people in it, and more computers. ...roads? These are immobile computers. They're offering money because people are showing up to city meetings and crying about them a lot because of stupid shit they read online about not even data centers, something something AI. Nobody is browsing realtor.com looking for data centers in the town. If your house is right up against an industrial/commercial zone, that's the best neighbor you could get among the
Puerto Rico (Score:2, Interesting)
I say we repurpose Puerto Rico and make it the State of Data Center and put all of the datacenters there. It'll be like practice for putting them in orbit.
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Too hot, too humid, too hilly and junglely. I'd look at Minnesota or the Dakotas.
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> Too hot, too humid, too hilly and junglely. I'd look at Minnesota
Decide what you want...data centers or Somalis?
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>> Too hot, too humid, too hilly and junglely. I'd look at Minnesota
> Decide what you want...data centers or Somalis?
Fuck off, bigot.
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Near one of Trumps golf courses.
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> Near one of Trumps golf courses.
And call it "One Beautiful Data Center"
More Gaslighting (Score:5, Informative)
"Residents could feel insulted by it, regarding the offer as a bribe"
That's because it IS a bribe! Bribe:(noun) A valuable item or cash given to influence a person's actions or decisions.
Sorry, but I see no other way to interpret NorthPoint's "offer". Any other attempt to describe it is pure gaslighting.
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> "That's because it IS a bribe!"
I came to post the exact same thing. It *is* a bribe. And it is insulting.
Now, if they had air-tight assurances it would cause no noise, ever, and not affect energy pricing ever, and wouldn't be visible from any residential locations, then maybe it is something I would consider supporting if I were there (with or without the "bribe"). The jobs thing is a joke- sick of hearing about that lie. But it could very much mean more tax revenue, which would be good for many yea
Required (Score:1)
They should be required to install solar for residents where appropriate.
Better... (Score:2)
Pay so much in property taxes that nobody else has to.
This seems sad, but familiar. (Score:4, Funny)
> Data Center Developer Offers $10,000 Checks To Nearby Households
Seems like some businesses and politicians can only offer "bribes" instead of things people actually want/need.
But hey, these homeowners can add this to their $5,000 DOGE and $2,000 tariff refunds -- oh, wait ...
.... and the $5,000 midterm "reward" if republicans win the House and Senate -- [holding my breath... getting dizzy... :-) ].
Not for AI (Score:2)
These data centers are not being built solely for AI. The real push behind them is to store every damn thing about you. Think Flock on steroids. These leech tech companies need to be put to heel now both through legislation and the public outright rejecting them. The cloud is your enemy people.
Data Center Noise Google search (Score:2)
Data Center Noise Google search:
[1]https://www.google.com/search?q=data+center+noise [google.com]
The noise is a HUGE problem!
[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=data+center+noise&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
Good! (Score:3)
> Those interviewed were widely against the data center development plans and cited several reasons for being averse to accepting the payout.
I'm glad that people are paying attention and pushing back. From what I've heard so far, the misery that big data centres inflict on local residents would be worth payments at least a couple of orders higher than what's being offered here.
As for paying per household, fuck that noise - double entendre intended. Every resident , regardless of age, should receive a big payment.
Oh, what's that you say? That would make the data centre too expensive to build? Too bad, so sad, oh well...
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Noise, higher electricity and power bills.
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Ok...how about they offer $1million or so to buy you out of your house and property? Maybe $1.5M...so after taxes you could end up with net $1M or close to it...?
I'd take that deal.
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Son, you would take 10k.... you already sold out
And its clear you have no idea the harm being done to locals.
Wonder why they havent put a data center next to you yet.