Colorado Major Data Center Projects, Vineyard Data Center Park Makes the Region Accessible

What has lured Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world to build its new Data Center in Colorado Springs? Land is one thing but incentives sealed the deal. The local government in Colorado Springs offered Wal-Mart $4.5 million in sales and business personal property tax rebates as incentives to close the deal. And Wal-Mart isn’t the only company to tap into these resources. Agilent Technologies’ data and technology centers also received over $4 million in incentives that include city personal property tax exemptions and sales and use tax rebates. Furthermore, Colorado Springs is becoming a hot-bed for data centers serving major corporations including Progressive Insurance, FedEx and Hewlett-Packard.

How can others get into this game and what’s in it for them?

Currently underway is the Vineyard Data Center Park, a 108-acre development just south of downtown Colorado Springs. It is designed to be the region’s first covenant controlled, sustainable data center campus. The region is particularly attractive to major data center operations because power rates in the region are 39% below the nations average power rates, this project includes a storm water conservation program, will use recycled building materials, install a permeable pavement, xeriscaping, wetlands preservation, wildlife habitat preservation, tree harvesting and salvaging, composting, and more. These green initiatives, together with attractive power rates, affordable land and building space are compounded by the incredible incentives offered by the State and Regional government offices for this region. Oh, and did we mention that the school district is also expected to offer tax exemptions and rebates too?

Why Colorado Springs?

The area is seeking to attract major businesses that can provide employment opportunities to sustain and grow the region’s economy. The area offers low-cost and reliable electricity, access to an educated workforce and is located in a disaster free zone, for the most part. All three of these factors make Colorado Springs particularly attractive to companies like Wal-Mart.

The Wal-Mart project is expected to initially employ 30 people with salaries ranging from $30K-$70K. Over the course of five years it is expected to add additional employees bringing the total to 40 permanent jobs. The data center is expected to be built for $100M with additional equipment investments to reach between $50-$100M over the course of 15 years. This project alone is expected to add about $488M into the Pike’s Peak region’s economy over its first 15 years. This is tremendous value to the region and with many other data centers located throughout the area and with additional developments underway, employment opportunities are about to soar – just as the US economy and job rates need them to.

Colorado Springs – the Time is Ripe

It is a great time to consider new data center space and green-field construction opportunities in Colorado Springs. It’s going to be home to a truly valuable workforce that will bring talent, skills and knowledge into the region. To find out how you can tap into the incentives and development opportunities available in the region contact WiredRE at www.wiredre.com or email wiredre@imillerpr.com. The company represents the Vineyard Data Center Park – a property that offers incentives and land development opportunities specifically for data center projects.

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