Amazon reportedly uses 45-year-old rules to get around AI data center opposition - California residents left fuming after Gilroy facility begins construction
Amazon’s use of 45-year-old zoning rules have enabled it to avoid public planning scrutiny in Gilroy, California.
In 2020, Amazon submitted plans for a 438,500-square-foot data center in Gilroy, California, a project that has sparked considerable controversy among local residents. The 56-acre site, located between a Walmart and a shopping center, has been built without the benefit of adequate communication or public scrutiny from the city council and mayor.
Gilroy residents allege they were not informed about the project until construction had already begun, with one resident claiming that the window for commenting on the plans closed in 2024, before many citizens were even aware of the planned installation. The city officials have employed a strategy of obfuscation, using 45-year-old planning laws to seemingly bypass opposition from residents.
Amazon has reportedly made provisions to divert wastewater to the data center, donated money to local spending, and sponsored the new city fire truck and non-profits. The city mayor, Greg Bozzo, has attempted to downplay the concerns surrounding the project, comparing it to the approval of a food distribution center, and has acknowledged the benefits of the deal, including job creation and tax revenue.
Amazon Web Services' VP of economic development, Roger Wehner, maintains that the project adhered to standard approval processes.
Despite these efforts, opposition to the data center has organized, with one organizer, 21-year-old Landon Sepulveda, expressing a trust issue between the population and city administrators. "These processes were not enough for the citizens of Gilroy to do anything about it. We’ve elected them to tell us, and we shouldn’t have to watch over their shoulders."
Another concerned citizen, elementary school teacher Coleen Crew, commented during a council meeting, "Many if not most residents first learned about this project after construction had already begun."
Amazon and the Gilroy council have emphasized the advantages of the project, however, the lack of transparency and the seemingly evasive use of outdated zoning rules have left residents fuming over the development.
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