MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA · DATA CENTERS
Archive item · Events of August 23 – September 11, 2026
What happened: Legacy Investing, a Virginia-based developer, withdrew its land-use application for a 20-megawatt data center at the former Star Tribune printing plant in the North Loop, MPR News’ Jon Collins reported on September 11. The company did not respond to MPR, and no new application had been filed.
Claim: At an August neighborhood meeting, Legacy’s representatives said the facility would use about as much water as a few homes and would not strain the grid, MPR’s Cait Kelley and Matt Mikus reported. Reported figures ranged from two to four homes.
Check: MPR reported that the developer offered no revenue or job estimates, and a neighborhood zoning committee member doubted enough information would arrive to support a decision. We found no filing that documented the water or power figures. The claims were not shown to be false; they were not substantiated.
Concern: Residents questioned environmental effects and whether the project would create lasting jobs. More than 1,140 comments were collected. Minneapolis had already paused data centers larger than 350,000 square feet while it rewrites its zoning rules.
Outcome: Withdrawn. The Star Tribune still owns the site, and the city said it would work with other partners on its future.
Location Decision takeaway
Reassuring numbers invite scrutiny when they arrive without documentation. A developer entering an urban neighborhood should bring its cooling design, utility capacity letter and jobs estimate to the first meeting, not the third.
Original reporting: Jon Collins, MPR News, September 11, 2026. Earlier reporting: Cait Kelley and Matt Mikus, MPR News, August 23, 2026.
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