Data Center Moves Forward in Eastern North Dakota

Harwood Planning and Zoning Board members. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – Harwood city leaders pushed forward with a planned data center development Tuesday after contentious public hearings.

The Harwood Planning and Zoning Board and City Council voted in favor of the $3 billion Applied Digital data center that seeks to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence computing.

The Planning and Zoning Board recommended rezoning a 320-acre area southeast of Harwood from agriculture to light industrial. The City Council then approved a first reading of the zoning change and a building permit for MBN Engineering of Fargo that will work on the project.

A second vote by the council is required to finalize the zoning change and the building permit. The votes would likely come at the October meeting.

Harwood Mayor Blake Hankey said the zoning change and data center would help insulate Harwood from development from the north side of Fargo.