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Facebook is coming to Eagle Mountain. Eagle Mountain stated, “together with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah) today announced Facebook will begin construction of a 970,000 square foot data center at the Sweetwater Industrial Park in Eagle Mountain, Utah.” in a press release dated 5/30/2018. The Interlocal Agreements were agreed to and signed by the property taxing agencies several days prior to the official announcement. The agreements agreed to a property tax deal with Facebook for the Data Center build in Eagle Mountain. Not all of that money goes back to the company, Facebook is going to spend a large portion of it for some much needed infrastructure upgrades to prepare Eagle Mountain for future developments as well as alleviate some of the stress already created by Eagle Mountains rapid growth. According to the press release it includes $100 million dollars in infrastructure and a new 1000 megawatts electrical substation that will “support additional economic development in Eagle Mountain and the surrounding area.”
The majority of the taxing entities (Eagle Mountain, Utah County, Central Utah Water Conservancy District, and Unified Fire Service Area) had no issues with the agreement and felt that the impact on Eagle Mountain was a value add for the city. On the other hand, the Alpine School District did not see the impact as positive and at one point almost lost the deal for Eagle Mountain. A move that has had some residents discussing the possibility and procedure for Eagle Mountain leaving the Alpine School District #exitasd. Wendy Hart, a board member on the Alpine School District had this to say on her Facebook page.
The Data center build will represent a $750 million dollar investment in Eagle Mountain, and will increase the property tax already being collect for the site. Some estimates say that Alpine School District will collect significantly more than $100 dollars already collected a year. One report says that the tax collected will increase to $537,525 per year even with the tax agreement in place. One of the concerns that residents brought up were about water and the impact the environment will have on the area. Mark Zukerberg answered some of those questions with a Facebook post on June 5th, 2018.“EM Data center approved. Original motion 30 years and $120M real property tax rebate max. Company threatened to walk away so substitute motion passed 6-1 to increase to 35 years and $150M max. 80% real property and 100% personal property tax rebate. No max on the personal property tax except the 35 years. unlimited 20 year phases. Board wants to be included earlier in the process and have legislation changed to include impact fees for schools. But without the leverage of one of these deals, I doubt we’ll see any changes.”
“Melissa Clark, one of the Eagle Mountain City Council members that voted in favor of the Data Center, had this to say about the Facebook Data Center in Eagle Mountain.
The City Council on Tuesday night (6/6/2018) passed a measure that helped the Data Center move forward. The City Council during the approval of the consent agenda also approve item #21 on the agenda. That item was the approval of the Steeplechase Preliminary Plat. Steeplechase is the code name that was used by the State and other entities during the negotiation phase with Facebook. The plat included several right-of-way dedications. It dedicated 12.178 acres for extension of Pony Express Parkway along the East side of the project and an unnamed minor collector road along the west side of the property. It also included a note on the plat that if the City’s Transportation Plan has a roadway along the northern border of the property then the owner would provide a 38.5 foot wide right-of-way dedication at that time.“One of the things that residents in the city ask me about more than anything is economic development and the other is roads and infrastructure. Eagle Mountain has worked for over two decades to get into the position where have a diversified tax base so we can provide the basics to the community without raising taxes. I am so happy for our sweet little city that we have been able to work hard to bring a business that will provide tax revenue without the increase in traffic and pollution. This means there is less burden on small businesses and homeowners to provide the tax base and spreads the load around. This is a direct result of the hard work of our amazing staff. This is a win for the city, this is a win for the schools, and this is a win for individual families.”
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Mike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.