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Kraft-Backed 2.5 Million-Square-Foot Data Center Campus Proposed in Sutton Draws Resident Scrutiny
A 10-building data center campus backed by the Kraft Group could bring nearly $28 million in annual property taxes to Sutton by 2035, but residents are raising concerns about noise, water use, traffic and quality of life.
SUTTON, Mass. â A sprawling data center campus backed by the Kraft Group could eventually deliver nearly $28 million a year in property tax revenue to this small Worcester County town, but the proposal is already meeting resistance from residents who say the financial promise does not outweigh the risks to their community.
The plan calls for 10 buildings on a site off Boston and Providence roads, each roughly 250,000 square feet, for a total of about 2.5 million square feet at full build-out â an expanse the town compares to roughly 43 football fields of floor space. The project is associated with the Kraft Group and Unified Global Packaging Group, which owns the property.
According to the town's preliminary review, the development could represent approximately $16.75 billion in investment and would require about 900 megawatts of electricity at full build-out, placing it among the larger data center projects being planned nationwide.
For Sutton, the fiscal stakes are substantial. Town projections estimate the first two buildings could generate about $10.4 million in annual property taxes by fiscal year 2031. Once all 10 buildings are assessed, annual property tax revenue could reach approximately $27.8 million by fiscal year 2035. The town's financial modeling also predicts that the average single-family homeowner could pay about $5,800 less annually by fiscal year 2035 than under projected tax bills without the development.
The potential relief arrives as Sutton projects a structural budget deficit that could grow to roughly $9.1 million by fiscal year 2033 without corrective action.
But at a meeting Tuesday, neighbors pressed officials on noise, water and electricity consumption, backup generators, traffic and the potential cost of municipal services. The town's review identifies several of those issues â including water supply, wastewater, noise, lighting, traffic and emergency response â as areas requiring further study.
"This is just the very, very beginning of this," Jonathan Anderson, chair of the Sutton Select Board, told residents.
No final approval has been granted. Town officials expect additional technical review and negotiations over zoning regulations and a community benefits agreement. A zoning change would require a Planning Board hearing and approval by a two-thirds vote at Town Meeting.
Some residents pointed to a Lowell artificial intelligence facility, formerly a Prince spaghetti factory, that they say has affected their quality of life, and made clear that scrutiny of the Sutton proposal is only starting.
"I have a 3-year-old grandson," longtime resident Mario Giamie said. "And I'm not going to subject him to this if I can fight it, and I will fight it."