Proposed data center
A proposed AI data center in McMinnville will create 23 jobs and lead to construction of a 97,000-square-foot building, according to director of development Alex Hixson.
The data center will be built near 191 Industrial Drive, which is the old Avalon Dairy building visible from the bypass. Opening is projected for the first quarter of 2028.
The data center is in preliminary development and Alex says he has already heard initial concerns. He says Warren County is his home too and it’s his goal to operate a first-rate facility that will be a nice fit for our community.
Said Alex, “I believe this could be a great addition for McMinnville and Warren County because it has the potential to bring major private investment, long-term tax base, high-paying technical jobs, professional security positions, and construction work during the buildout period, while being designed in a way that addresses the biggest concerns people usually have about data centers.”
Alex said his proposed facility will be built with an environmental focus – and it will not be like some of the enormous data centers.
“The current concept is not a large hyperscale campus,” said Alex. “It is a proposed 25-megawatt facility with a green-focused design approach centered around off-grid islanded power, closed-loop cooling, conservative water use, lower local-emissions technology, and a site-specific industrial layout intended to reduce impacts to local water, wildlife, nurseries, neighboring residents, and surrounding businesses.”
As Alex explains, a data center is a facility where digital work is processed and stored. Hixson Data Center is being designed for high-density AI and computing workloads.
“This means the facility would support computing tasks like artificial intelligence processing, cloud/software workloads, advanced business computing, and other high-performance digital work,” said Alex.
Alex understands people have questions, and he wants to provide accurate information.
“I would rather give accurate preliminary information than let speculation fill the gap,” he said. “As the project moves through engineering, approvals, financing, and final agreements, I expect the public information to become more detailed.”
NOTE: McMinnville officials will hold a special-called meeting Wednesday, June 3, at 6 p.m. at City Hall to consider a moratorium on data centers, bitcoin mining facilities, microchip manufacturing facilities and other similar high-impact developments.
Mayor Ryle Chastain called the meeting following public concerns raised by residents. Public comments will be allowed, with speakers limited to three minutes.
