A homeless encampment in San José, California, has been cleared this week to make way for the construction of a Microsoft data center.

People living on Alviso-Milpitas Road, between San José and Milpitas adjacent to highway 237, have been told to vacate the land.

Microsoft bought a 64-acre site next to the road in 2017 for $73.2 million, and revealed plans to build a campus with two data center buildings.

This was granted planning permission earlier this month, meaning the company now wants to gain access to the site. The data center plot itself is separated from the road by a fence, according to local media reports.

Speaking to San Jose Spotlight, Lynn Shipman, who previously lived at Alviso-Milpitas Road but has since found housing, said it was once home to 70 people living in tents and RVs.

“People are fearful. They don’t know where else to go,” said Shipman, who has been helping those impacted by the news.

While many of the residents left of their own accord, several with inoperable RVs were unable to do so, and were given 72-hours notice to move their vehicles or face them being impounded.

San Jose council member David Cohen, who represents the area, said: “As difficult and heartbreaking as this situation is, the city of San Jose cannot legally deny a private property owner access to their land.”

A Microsoft spokesperson told San José Spotlight: “We understand the cities are taking steps necessary to ensure safety and are working with the impacted individuals.”

The campus is one of two sites Microsoft has under development in San José. In 2022, it announced it was planning to build on a 22-acre land parcel near the intersection of Orchard Parkway and Component Drive, which it purchased for $78 million in May 2021.