Boone residents had the opportunity Thursday to inquire about a proposed data center Lightedge is considering for a 10-acre site within the Boone Business Park. The company's Chief Marketing Officer, Matt Biegacki, stated that the proposal represents a new location for a project Lightedge initially evaluated for Ames. According to Biegacki, the company “didn’t want to try to force something that didn’t make sense for the neighbors there” after Ames residents opposed the earlier plan.
Following the opposition in Ames, the Ames Regional Economic Alliance directed Lightedge to its partner agency, the Boone County Economic Growth Corporation, to assist in finding an alternative site. The current proposed location is a 10-acre parcel south of 220th Street on Lakewood Drive, situated inside the Boone Business Park and owned by the Economic Growth Corporation. Because the site is within Boone city limits, a temporary Boone County moratorium on data centers does not apply to this project.
The proposed data center still requires approval from the Boone City Council. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission has already reviewed the site plan and recommended it to the council. As of Thursday’s open house, it was not clear if the project would be included on the council’s upcoming meeting agenda.
Lightedge characterizes the proposed facility as a colocation data center, which is a secure environment where organizations can rent space for their servers and networking equipment. The company stated that it serves various clients, including banks, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and other businesses that rely on secure data storage and processing. The Boone proposal would be a smaller, regional facility, distinct from larger campuses built for hyperscale or artificial intelligence computing. Lightedge's website indicates that the site could ultimately support up to 46 megawatts of power, though the company specified it would commence operations at a smaller scale and expand based on customer demand.
The power arrangement for the Boone facility would also differ from the initial Ames proposal. Alliant Energy would serve as the energy utility provider for the proposed data center. A spokesperson for Alliant Energy released a statement affirming that large energy users are responsible for paying for the necessary grid investments to serve them, ensuring that existing customers will not bear the cost of new large-user growth. The spokesperson emphasized Alliant Energy’s commitment to existing customers, stating that "existing customer energy reliability comes first." Alliant Energy added that new businesses can benefit communities through increased tax revenue and new jobs, with the utility playing a role in providing strong infrastructure and facilitating economic development. The specific power needs and utility arrangements for the Boone facility have not yet been finalized.
Regarding water usage, Lightedge stated that its data centers utilize closed-loop cooling systems, which recirculate water rather than requiring daily fresh water for cooling. However, the final design and specific water usage for the Boone facility have not been established.
The open house was designed to allow residents living within Boone city limits to speak directly with representatives from Lightedge, Alliant Energy, and the Boone County Economic Growth Corporation. David Adams, a resident who stated he lives approximately a mile from the proposed site, initially attended the event with questions about water and electricity consumption. Adams reported that after discussions with company representatives, his primary concern shifted to noise levels. Lightedge has announced plans to conduct an acoustic study for the Boone site. While the company has referenced its Altoona facility when discussing noise and water usage, these measurements do not represent a Boone-specific forecast.
Tungesvik, a representative involved in the project discussions, indicated that the data center could contribute to diversifying Boone’s tax base and would not introduce new expenses for the city. Lightedge has estimated the construction costs for the project to exceed $200 million, projecting the creation of hundreds of construction jobs. The company has not, however, provided a specific figure for the number of permanent jobs the facility would create.
Lightedge affirmed it is not seeking city tax incentives for this project and plans to establish a minimum assessed value for the building. The company cited an assessed value of $15.5 million for its Altoona facility. A model presented by the Boone County Economic Growth Corporation at the open house illustrated potential property tax revenue, based on assessed values ranging from $15 million to $20 million. At an assessed value of $15 million, the model estimates approximately $202,000 in revenue for the city and $226,000 for Boone schools, assuming a $150,000 abatement and the state’s 10% rollback.