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New York has imposed the country\u2019s first statewide moratorium on new large-scale data center construction. It might not be the last. Bills\u00a0to freeze\u00a0or restrict\u00a0data center development\u00a0have surfaced in\u00a0statehouses from Maine to Georgia.\u00a0Communities\u00a0feel\u00a0taken advantage of,\u00a0and they\u2019re pushing back. Frankly, some of that skepticism has been earned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Communities didn\u2019t become skeptical overnight.\u00a0In some cases,\u00a0developers\u00a0treated\u00a0public engagement\u00a0as a box to check\u00a0rather than a commitment to keep, and that\u2019s exactly\u00a0why higher standards matter now.\u00a0None of this is new to us. We\u2019ve built\u00a0data centers\u00a0for 15 years\u00a0with one\u00a0guiding\u00a0principle: build like you intend to live next door, not like you\u2019re clearing a permit. That doesn\u2019t change because scrutiny has intensified. If anything, it\u2019s why we welcome it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Banning data centers\u00a0does not\u00a0solve the real issue.\u00a0Imagine\u00a0life without\u00a0the\u00a0internet.\u00a0Your mortgage\u00a0payment doesn\u2019t clear\u00a0because electronic payments\u00a0aren\u2019t possible.\u00a0The ER\u00a0can\u2019t pull up\u00a0your child\u2019s\u00a0allergy history\u00a0because the\u00a0record lives\u00a0on a server that\u00a0no longer exists.\u00a0The\u00a0911 call doesn\u2019t connect.\u00a0And the miracle drug\u00a0AI could have discovered never gets made\u00a0or saves anyone.\u00a0Data centers power\u00a0banking,\u00a0hospital\u00a0records, emergency communications, cloud services,\u00a0AI\u00a0and more.\u00a0Opting out entirely\u00a0isn\u2019t a realistic option.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question is not whether data centers will be built.\u00a0It\u2019s who\u00a0communities can trust\u00a0to\u00a0build them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trust must\u00a0be earned\u00a0well\u00a0before construction\u00a0starts.\u00a0It is built\u00a0through transparency, regular communication, and commitments residents can\u00a0see and\u00a0measure over time.\u00a0Communities\u00a0should expect more than\u00a0promises. They should expect\u00a0developers to pay for the substations and transmission infrastructure their project requires rather than passing those costs to ratepayers, to be transparent about water use and to remain\u00a0accountable\u00a0long after construction ends.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blanket moratoriums\u00a0don\u2019t build\u00a0trust \u2013 they\u00a0prevent\u00a0the\u00a0conversations needed to earn it.\u00a0Communities\u00a0need a higher standard for\u00a0how projects\u00a0are proposed,\u00a0approved, built, and operated.\u00a0They need\u00a0developers who treat public engagement as part of the work, not a hurdle to clear, and who can show how a project will create shared value for the community hosting it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not all data center developers are the same, and those differences make all the difference.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0the same as buying a house to flip it or\u00a0buying\u00a0one\u00a0to\u00a0live\u00a0in\u00a0for years.\u00a0\u00a0Every decision changes\u00a0when you\u00a0expect\u00a0to live with the outcome: the corners\u00a0you\u00a0refuse to cut, the utility costs\u00a0you\u00a0will not shift to neighbors, and the promises\u00a0you\u00a0keep after\u00a0the\u00a0construction crews leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That is the standard the industry should be judged against: whether\u00a0a developer\u00a0communicates honestly, pays its share, minimizes impacts, and leaves the community stronger\u00a0because\u00a0it stayed, not just passed through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In commercial real estate, \u201cClass A\u201d describes the building: well-constructed, well-located, professionally operated. For data center development, that standard should\u00a0also\u00a0include\u00a0how\u00a0a project\u00a0improves\u00a0the community. Does the developer pay for the substations and transmission lines its campus requires, or send that bill to neighbors? Does it use\u00a0too much\u00a0water?\u00a0Is it too noisy? Are the setbacks appropriate?\u00a0Does it keep residents informed when construction affects daily life?\u00a0Is it\u00a0still answering\u00a0the phone a decade from now?\u00a0<\/p>\n
When\u00a0mayors, governors or the President push for tougher standards, my response is the same: Good. Raise them. Ask for more on water, energy, infrastructure\u00a0upgrades,\u00a0community investments and accountability. Just measure every developer with the same yardstick.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every data center developer that comes to town should\u00a0sit for the same interview: five questions, drawn from the same standard we hold ourselves to.\u00a0Do that, and\u00a0communities\u00a0get the investment, the jobs, the tax base and the community improvements\u00a0that\u00a0can\u00a0change lives.\u00a0If a developer\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0\u2013\u00a0or won\u2019t\u00a0\u2013\u00a0answer them,\u00a0that is\u00a0an answer too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Growing America\u2019s digital economy will depend on whether the companies building data centers can\u00a0earn\u00a0trust\u00a0before construction starts, maintain it while projects are being built, and prove over time that host communities share in the value these projects create.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u00a0also\u00a0requires\u00a0communities to distinguish between developers based on\u00a0the real commitments they\u2019re willing to make.\u00a0Ask the tough questions. Demand proof. Measure every developer by\u00a0how\u00a0it builds, what it pays for,\u00a0how it communicates,\u00a0and what it honors over time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Communities\u00a0should not be asked to\u00a0trust developers because they\u00a0promise to be good neighbors. Developers\u00a0must\u00a0earn that trust by\u00a0actions that are true to their word:\u00a0being transparent, showing up consistently, and creating value that lasts\u00a0decades\u00a0beyond\u00a0the\u00a0construction\u00a0phase.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question isn\u2019t whether America will build data centers. It\u2019s who communities\u00a0will\u00a0trust to build them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hold every developer to that standard.\u00a0Including us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of <\/em>Fortune.<\/em><\/p>\n Chris Crosby is the CEO of Compass Datacenters, he has held this position since 2011 as an early expert in the datacenter industry.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n #data #center #CEO #Communities #deserve #partnersnot #blanket #bans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New York has imposed the count… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2386,3447,965,283,3444,541,906,3445,3446],"class_list":["post-1731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-news","tag-bans","tag-blanket","tag-center","tag-ceo","tag-communities","tag-data","tag-data-centers","tag-deserve","tag-partnersnot"],"yoast_head":"\n