In Kentucky, a mother and daughter have refused a staggering $26 million offer for their farmland. The offer came from a developer representing an undisclosed Fortune 100 company interested in constructing a large data center on their property.
Ida Huddleston, the owner of a 71-acre plot in Mason County, has consistently declined the proposal, which offered her $60,000 per acre, totaling $4.26 million. Despite the repeated offers, Huddleston expressed her frustration over the developer’s persistence, according to LEX 18.
Delsia Bare, Huddleston’s daughter, faced a similar situation with her 463-acre property. The developer proposed $48,000 per acre, amounting to over $22 million, yet she too opted not to sell.
“I told them I don’t want or need their money, but I do feel for our neighbors,” Huddleston shared with the news outlet.
The duo’s decision to reject the offer stems from concerns about the potential impact of the data center on their community. The ongoing pressure from the developer has only strengthened their resolve to maintain ownership of their land.
The mystery surrounding the project, especially the company’s unwillingness to disclose its identity, has further reinforced their determination to hold onto their property.
“When they will not reveal who they are that’s a major player in what you’re going to do with the rest of your life if you are stuck here or even if you are leaving here,” Bare said.
The proposed data center would be built near Big Pond Pike Road in rural Kentucky, around an hour and a half from Lexington.
Several landowners have already been approached about selling farmland for the project — a development local officials say could transform the region economically, according to LEX 18.
“As far as jobs would go, they would become, if not our largest employer, definitely top three,” Tyler McHugh, economic development director for the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority, told the outlet.
McHugh said the data center could create around 400 full-time jobs and more than 1,500 construction jobs in the county and surrounding area.
However, the mother and daughter remain skeptical that those jobs will remain once the project is built.
“My guess is you won’t have over 50 and they won’t even be here at this building when it’s said and done,” Bare said.
As for her 82-year-old mother, she said nothing will make her budge.
“I’m staying put,” Huddleston told the outlet.
Despite the women’s unwillingness to sell their land, the Mason County Fiscal Court still needs to approve the project, LEX 18 reported.
Tech giants are swarming around rural cities to build their data centers.
Last week, George Washington University sold its Virginia Science and Technology Campus to Amazon Data Services to turn the site into a data center.
The company purchased the land for $427 million, according to The Hatchet.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is planning to build 15 data centers in Mount Pleasant, Michigan after purchasing the land in 2024, the Biz Times reported in January.
