‘Project River’ developers accept City of Cleveland’s requirements on potential data center

From Local 3 News: The developers of Project River, which includes a proposed data center in Bradley County, have agreed to the City of Cleveland’s development requirements, which they say “mandate significant community benefits.” Requirements address many community concerns, including noise and light pollution, visibility from connecting roads, and environmental impacts.

Project River is a proposed $11.3 billion industrial campus on 850 acres in Bradley County. The Wright family says the whole campus will be self-powered.

The City of Cleveland will finalize its draft of the Planned Unit of Development 77 (PUD 77) on Friday, September 18. However, a proposed draft is already available, and developers have agreed to its guidelines.

Developers told Local 3 News they would present the project to the City Council and Planning Commission on September 21.

A vote is not expected until at least October. If passed, it will act as law.

Overall project requirements:

• Data Center – 500 feet from property line
• Power Plant River Front – 200 feet from property line
• Power Plant Non-River Front – 50 feet from property line
• Exceptions – Barge Port, Stormwater Facilities
• Developers must provide land and funding for a new emergency response station for fire, EMS, and police on Lower River Road. The Wright family says they must also improve infrastructure in that area, near Exit 33, including access points, traffic signals, and more.

Developers must provide land and funding for a new emergency response station for fire, EMS, and police on Lower River Road. The Wright family says they must also improve infrastructure in that area, near Exit 33, including access points, traffic signals, and more.

Project River developers will also have to negotiate a community benefit agreement to support schools in the City of Cleveland and Bradley County. The agreement must also provide support for projects and infrastructure in the City of Cleveland, Bradley County and the City of Charleston.

The project also restricts log trucks from using any city streets or county roads, and a data center cannot be viewable from any public roads or adjoining properties.

If a data center is developed, it will be subject to additional requirements related to screening, storm water management, lighting, noise, heat and emissions, according to the Wright family.

Data center operators will be required to submit studies and mitigation plans, and the City will be able to test for and enforce compliance during construction.

Other requirements include:

• Green Space: 20% of the land must remain green space.
• Max Building Height: Max building height will be 85 feet, and average height will be 70 feet.
• Grading: Minimize grading and site disturbance to maximize retention of native vegetation, topsoil, and landforms. All cleared areas are to be revegetated with native vegetation.
• Environmental: An environmental study must be conducted before receiving a data center permit.
• Noise: Limiting noise to a maximum of 60 decibels at the property line. The City must approve a noise mitigation plan, and noise will be continuously monitored at the property line.
• Lighting: A lighting plan will be approved by the City during the site plan review process, with an annual review for the first five years.
• Cooling: Requires a closed-loop cooling system.
• Dust Control: Project River must comply with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.
• Conveyor System: A conveyor system must be fully enclosed to reduce wind-borne erosion.
• Biomass Facility Emissions: The project must use Best Available Control Technology to capture and minimize combustion emissions. The facility must feature a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS) to track output.
• Power: 75% of all direct power used must be generated on site. It requires a yearly sustainability report detailing power use to the City.
• Water: 90% of all process water used (excluding initial system priming) shall be generated on site. It requires a yearly sustainability report detailing water use to the City.
• Hiwassee River: It may not directly connect the utility to the Hiwassee River.

The Bradley County community has been vocal about opposition to Project River. Hundreds of people showed up at Monday’s Cleveland City Council meeting, and a petition to reject the project has more than 4,000 signatures.

Wright Brothers Construction previously held a public meeting to answer questions about the project. However, attendees had to submit questions online, some of which were answered during the meeting. There was no opportunity for public input during the meeting, which resulted in chants and yelling from the audience.
The City of Cleveland says the Planning Commission will discuss Project River on Monday, September 21 at 6:00pm, but there will be no official action or vote.

Read the City of Cleveland PUD release HERE.