Officials have upheld a decision not to grant permission for a data center in Idaho

As previously reported by DCD, Lex Developments was seeking to build the data center on the site of the former Hoku Materials polysilicon factory in Pocatello, a city in Bannock County, southeast Idaho.

It was denied planning permission by the Pocatello hearing examiner in May, but was attempting to appeal the decision. The company was denied a conditional use permit

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, a First Nation that occupies the nearby Fort Hall Reservation, had voiced their opposition to the scheme.

The Potacello city council denied Lex’s appeal at a meeting this week in a 4-1 vote, upholding the original denial from May.

Lex Developments was seeking to develop a seven-building campus on 59 acres at 1800 River Park Way, each measuring some 100,000 sq ft (9,290 sqm). The campus is expected to use 100MW of power by 2031. Gas turbines would have been used at the site while it waited for grid capacity.

Hoku Materials went into administration in 2013, and the abandoned factory is now owned by Portneuf Capital LLC.

Lex was appealing the denial, arguing that data centers were not a listed use in the city code and the project should have been governed under the code relating to unlisted uses. The company also said it didn’t need a permit because the land was already zoned for heavy industrial use and its proposals would have less water and power. It also said the denial was against city staff recommendations.

Pocatello has been home to a data center operated by the FBI, known as Grey Wolf, since 2019.