Southaven Alderman Casts Lone Dissenting Vote on Second Data-Center Building
A Southaven alderman broke with the rest of the Board of Aldermen this week, casting the only "no" vote on design-review approval for a second data-center building tied to the city's SpaceX/xAI project.
The vote came Sept. 2 during the board's planning agenda, item 2, covering design review of the roughly 660,000-square-foot MZX Tech data storage facility. Just before the vote, Alderman Hoots, told the board he supported the broader project but wanted the company to follow through on earlier commitments before building further. "I think in the big scheme of things, the projects are good for the city, but I personally in my constituents and my ward would like to see them complete some of the stuff they promised they're going to do," he said, adding that residents "right now we're still suffering from the noise from the temporary turbines."
He said he would "feel more comfortable if we pump the brakes" on new construction. "I'd like to see them finish something before they start more and more more stuff," he said. "So I can't support this myself tonight." The board went on to approve the design 6-1.
The dissent marks a rare public split among Southaven officials over what has been promoted as the city's signature economic-development project. The alderman's objection centered on unresolved turbine noise complaints and commitments he said the company had not yet met, raising questions about oversight of the project's pace even as the board continues approving new construction tied to it.