Edited by Ken Duffy
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Harwood Mayor Blake Hankey called a last-minute meeting to decide whether Applied Digital’s nearly $3 billion artificial intelligence data center will move forward. The project includes two facilities covering more than 900 acres, powered by Cass County Electric, and is expected to create more than 200 full-time jobs.
During the Wednesday night meeting, the city council approved rezoning land southeast of Harwood from agricultural to light industrial.
Many Harwood and Cass County residents voiced anger and disappointment, saying the process lacked transparency and excluded public input.
Duncan Mcalister a Cass County resident said in a interview.
“One of the biggest issues is the lack of transparency. They only announced this meeting yesterday. The mayor is in Portugal right now, and that’s not OK when such big decisions are being made. These data centers raise power and water prices, and residents deserve to know the impact.”
Other concerns included safety with an influx of workers, electricity capacity, and environmental impact.
Residents also pointed out the meeting was held in a much smaller space than usual, with only about 30 allowed inside. Others stood outside or joined on Zoom, where the comment section was shut off—forcing them to speak out in other ways.
After just 25 minutes, the council gave final approval to the rezoning.
