A proposal to build one of the largest data centers in California on 70 acres of Navy land in San Diego’s Midway District is running into resistance from local elected officials, who say they were left out of the loop as talks advanced behind closed doors. Manchester Financial Group has been discussing a possible 400-megawatt data center as part of a sweeping redevelopment of the NAVWAR campus, a site that currently houses the Navy’s cybersecurity operations between Pacific Highway and Interstate 5.
The talks were first reported by Voice of San Diego, which found that Manchester Financial Group is in discussions with the Navy and local power officials about building the massive facility on the property. The data center would not stand alone — it would be folded into a larger overhaul of the site that developers have floated could also include a new command headquarters, housing, hotels, retail and other amenities. Manchester Financial Group President and CEO Ted Eldredge has said the data center is just one of several proposals under consideration and might never get built at all, according to the outlet.
City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, who represents the district, says she only learned the data center was part of the mix through press coverage. She told KPBS that Manchester Financial Group had briefed her on the broader redevelopment project earlier, but that no one mentioned a data center could be part of it. Von Wilpert, who is running for California’s 48th Congressional District, criticized the development team for the lack of transparency.
A Congressman Says the Land Should House People, Not Servers
Rep. Scott Peters, whose 50th District includes the NAVWAR site, has come out against the data center concept entirely. He told KPBS the property is ideally positioned for housing and neighborhood-serving amenities given its proximity to downtown, I-5 and the Old Town Transit Center. A data center, he said, is not neighborhood-serving and belongs in a more remote industrial area instead…