Coachella seeks feedback on data center

Coachella city officials have opened an online survey asking residents to weigh in on a proposed data center concept and the city’s municipal utility, according to a notice posted on the city’s website on May 13. The survey was published two days after a May 11 community town hall at the Boys & Girls Club of Coachella, where city staff outlined the utility effort, a timeline for the work so far and the process for evaluating possible future projects. The city said residents can submit responses in English or Spanish until 6 p.m. on Monday, May 18. KESQ first reported the survey on May 15. ### What exactly is the city asking residents to comment on? The May 13 city notice says the survey covers two linked subjects: the Coachella Municipal Utility and a proposed data center concept discussed alongside it. The posting says staff used the May 11 town hall to explain what has happened so far with the utility and how the city would evaluate any potential projects tied to it. (coachella.org) The city’s procurement documents show the municipal utility effort predates the current data center debate. A request for qualifications issued on Oct. 22, 2024 and a request for proposals issued on Jan. 31, 2025 describe a plan to launch electric service through a public-private partnership that could develop, finance, construct or operate generation, distribution and transmission infrastructure. (coachella.org) ### How long has Coachella been working on the municipal utility? A July 31, 2019 city council resolution authorized creation of a limited municipally owned utility for electrical service, according to the city’s request for proposals. The same document says the utility was intended to provide electric and gas service to certain new development and underserved “greenfield” areas within city limits. (coachella.org) On June 12, 2024, the Coachella City Council unanimously approved a competitive solicitation process to start the new municipal electric utility, the city’s procurement records say. The city then issued the 2024 qualifications request and, after reviewing three submissions, moved to a formal solicitation phase in early 2025. ### What do residents know about the proposed data center itself? (coachella.org) KESQ reported in April that residents described the project as a proposed 240-acre data center on an agricultural lot at Avenue 52 and Filmore Street. The station said opponents raised concerns at a city council meeting about water use, air and noise impacts, and the scale of a project some residents said could unfold in phases near homes and an elementary school. (coachella.org) A May 13 KESQ report identified Stronghold Power Systems as the project developer named in a now-rescinded support letter from Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez. That report said Perez withdrew a March 9 letter after saying the project still needed an environmental impact report, a full California Environmental Quality Act review and more community input. (kesq.com) ### Why are the utility and the data center being discussed together? The city’s May 13 notice says information about the proposed data center concept was shared “alongside” the municipal utility at the town hall. The city’s procurement documents say the utility program is being structured to serve immediate development needs and then scale with increasing development in the city’s service area, including possible use of adjacent transmission lines operated by Imperial Irrigation District. (kesq.com) Those records do not say the data center has been approved. They describe the city as evaluating future projects while seeking a partner for an energy delivery system that could support new development through wholesale power agreements, generation, distribution or transmission arrangements. ### Where can residents still participate before the deadline? (coachella.org) The city’s website includes separate SurveyMonkey links for English- and Spanish-language responses. The same page also links to the May 11 town hall video on the city’s YouTube page and to the presentation used during the meeting. Monday, May 18 at 6 p.m. is the current deadline listed by the city for survey responses. (coachella.org) After that, the next publicly visible steps are likely to come through city communications, council materials or any environmental review tied to the proposed project, while residents can still watch the town hall recording on the city website now.