Sutton officials say they will continue pursuing possible Kraft Group data center

Detailed summary

In an unsigned statement posted on Sutton’s web site, the town said it recognized “significant public interest" the proposal ...

After igniting a firestorm of criticism from residents over a massive data center proposed by two Kraft family companies, officials in the Central Massachusetts town of Sutton declared Friday that they are not backing away from the prospect.

In a lengthy, unsigned statement posted on Sutton’s web site, the town said it recognized “significant public interest in, and concerns about, the potential development of a data center project.”

The statement also implies that potential financial gains for the town are what’s keeping officials at the table: “Responsible municipal leadership means evaluating opportunities that could strengthen Sutton’s financial future while protecting the character, resources, and quality of life residents value.”

The controversy erupted Monday, when the town manager sent a memo to Sutton’s five-member Select Board outlining a proposal from the Kraft Group and its Unified Global Packaging Group business to build a massive data center – one that would be among the largest in the country – on a parcel of industrial property on the north side of town. More than 100 residents jammed a board meeting Tuesday night to express concerns about excessive electricity and water usage, noise pollution, and other potential problems that such a large facility could bring to this rural community.

Under the rough proposal disclosed Monday, the Kraft Group would build a $16 billion data center campus that would require up to 900 megawatts of electricity, enough to power a sizable city. The project would include 10 buildings, erected on land owned by Unified Packaging, about 10 miles south of Worcester.

After several days of continuing anger and organizing against the data center project by residents, town officials broke their silence on Friday with the posted statement, which outlined the required process for such a project to move forward.

“Considering an opportunity is not the same as supporting it,” the statement noted.

The Kraft Group issued a statement Thursday…

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Boston Globe. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.