Volition moves proposed Spanish Fork data center location after resident concerns

SPANISH FORK — Volition is moving its proposed Spanish Fork data center to a different location after months of concerns from residents who live near the project's original site.

The company now plans to develop the data center in the 440,000-square-foot Stockman Flats building just off state Route 77 in western Spanish Fork, Volition CEO Jeff Chavez said. The project was originally proposed for the Canyon Logistics property, where nearby residents raised concerns about potential noise, water use and the proximity of the facility to homes.

Chavez said the company believed it could address those concerns through the project's design but decided to look for another location.

"Even though we can answer their questions technically, internally we still were trying to find a way or a path that might make Spanish Fork feel even better," Chavez said.

The decision comes after the Spanish Fork City Council earlier this week approved a Title 15 amendment that created a path for Volition's proposal to move through the city's development process. Chavez said the timing gave the company an opportunity to reconsider the location.

"If there was time for us to make a shift right now, is that the last window for us to do this?" Chavez said. "And so, while it creates a few challenges, long term for us and for the city, this is better."

Residents who had pushed back against the original proposal said they were surprised by the change.

"It's very hard to process two months of adrenaline and overdrive in five minutes and feel like, I guess we're fine. But I guess we're fine," said Teresa Wood, a Spanish Fork resident who lives near the original site.

Wood said her concerns were not about data centers themselves, but about placing this particular facility close to homes. "I understand the technology already existed, but I'm not aware of anywhere that it's been put together in this way, this close to residents before," she said.

Chavez said Volition's approach has been to identify industrial areas away from residential neighborhoods.

"We identify industrial areas that are not near homes, even though we know that our data center is phenomenal. We still don't need to, you know, plop down right near homes," Chavez said.

The city of Spanish Fork said it supports Volition's right to determine which location works best for the company. Any future proposal would still have to meet city requirements, said Jack Urquhart, communications manager for Spanish Fork City.

Wood said the new location changes her view of the project. "I don't mind data centers at all. And in another location, now we're talking," she said.

Volition has previously said its data center is designed to limit water and electricity use and minimize sound impacts. The company says the project itself has not changed, other than the location.

Volition expects construction and development of the data center to take place from late 2027 into early 2029.

The new site will still have to go through the applicable city development and approval processes before the project can move forward.

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