The City Council of Rogers, Arkansas has approved a data center proposal by Arvest Bank, overturning an earlier Planning Commission decision to block the project.

The 20-acre site will be rezoned from agricultural use to commercial purposes, despite the commission’s earlier rejection of the proposal. The City Council now finds that the development will be beneficial and have a low impact, according to a report by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

A quiet operation 

“We have a need to support our customers as we move into the digital age,” Arvest data center manager Steve Smith told an earlier meeting, saying the proposed data center was ”low density, it’s a quiet operation.”

The proposed development, on the west side of Dodson Road, was rejected after residents spoke at a meeting on September 6, fearing an increase in traffic to the site.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Bill Watkins, an attorney for the project said. The data center will only employ 12 people, but if it were rejected, the site could be rezoned for housing, and support up to 100 homes and a great deal more traffic. 

The site has access to an electrical substation which can provide a reliable service for the data center, engineers told the meeting.