Facebook parent company to bring $800 million data center to Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Meta, Facebook’s parent company, will be the occupants of a large data center in Kansas City, the mayor and governor announced Thursday morning.

The $800 million data center will be helmed at Golden Plains Technology Park, a 5.5-million-square-foot land development in the Northland whose plans were first submitted to the city last year by Black & Veatch subsidiary Diode Ventures.

Meta would take up some of the space at the massive technology park that would also presumably include other companies at some point. The technology park construction would reportedly include 16 buildings and 760 acres at the southwest corner of Northwest 128th Street and U.S. 169 Highway. Meta would take up 375 acres and three buildings of that.

Gov. Mike Parson said the project will bring 100 new permanent jobs and 1,300 jobs during peak construction. The site will be supported by 100 percent renewable energy and add additional renewable energy to the region’s local grid, the governor said.

“Meta is excited to call Kansas City our new home. It stands out with so much to offer – good access to infrastructure and fiber, a strong pool of talent for both construction and operations, and more than anything, great community partners,” Darcy Nothnagle, Meta’s director of community and economic development, said in a statement. “Meta is committed to being a good neighbor and investing in the long-term vitality of the region for years to come.”

Meta chose Kansas City for the site of the planned data center because of its central location, decreased risk of natural disasters, competitive energy prices and options for renewable energy, Parson said.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Meta to Missouri,” said Maggie Kost, acting director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. “Meta’s decision shows Missouri is a strategic choice for technology companies to expand and grow. We’re grateful to Meta and all of the state and local partners that made this project possible.”

The Kansas City Council last year had approved up to $8.2 billion in tax incentives for the data center campus. At the time, plans had been filed including a company called Velvet Tech Services, LLC, which ended up being a shell company for Meta.

Stay with KCTV5 News for more on this developing story.