One more view on data centers

I guess I can’t let go on the Data Center/Centennial Park fiasco.

Several poignant views have been published lately on the Niagara Falls City Executive Branch favoring a hockey rink we have to build with our money for $200 million. Niagara Falls Redevelopment wants to build with $1.5 billion of private money. One project generates millions in tax revenue and hundreds of jobs. The other does not but does fill hotel rooms.

In fairness to the skeptics, NFR has done little more than mow, pay taxes and demolish buildings in 30 years of ownership. Skeptics believe the Urbacon plan is a ruse designed to run up the price, not an actual digital campus. They point to the way values for other parcels were propped up before sale to the State. NFR is unlikely to accept $4.2 million for the parcel of land the City needs for Centennial Park.

Take for example the Splash Park. The asking price was $75 million. Judge Kloch gave NFR $17 million for the site which is now part of the Casino. A few years ago, the state paid $1 million an acre for Smokin Joe’s downtown property. In today’s dollars, double that and it’s easy to see the cost of 5 acres of property adjacent to the Casino a half mile from the entertainment district as at least $10 million.

That said, I am not seeing an opposing view from people who favor a multi-purpose event center, as supporters like to call it. The current discussion is all about Urbacon.

Below is a letter published via Facebook by Christian Printup with the lead in “I sent this into the Gazette, but it hasn’t been picked up, so I’m sharing it here. 2027?”

Someone more than just Mark Scheer at the Gazette would need to pay attention to know how the majority of the community feels.

People in the community would need to vote in order for us to get a government that responds to the majority currently being ignored.

By Christian Printup

Niagara Falls, NY could benefit significantly—economically, socially, and environmentally—by strategically allowing and supporting data centers in its jurisdiction. More broadly, leaning into tech infrastructure does make sense as part of a realistic 21st-century comeback story for a post-industrial city.

Let’s break it down:

WHY TECH MAKES SENSE FOR NIAGARA FALLS

1. It leverages what the city already has

• Abundant, cheap hydroelectric power from the Niagara Power Project (NYPA): Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity. Niagara’s clean, low-cost energy is a rare, world-class VALUABLE asset.

• Cold climate: Data centers need cooling; colder weather reduces energy costs.

• Proximity to Canada and the Northeast: Ideal for cross-border data exchange, low-latency services, and cloud connectivity.

• Available land & industrial zoning: Many underutilized or brownfield industrial parcels are already serviced with utilities—perfect for data center development.

2. It addresses the ‘Rust Belt’ challenge head-on

• Niagara Falls (like Buffalo, Youngstown, OH, Gary, IN, etc.) was built on heavy industry. When steel, chemical, and manufacturing jobs vanished, cities like this lost tax base, population, and pride.

• You can’t easily recreate a steel mill economy—but you can repurpose infrastructure, power grids, and land for tech-enabled economies.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM ALLOWING DATA CENTERS

1. High tax revenue with low service costs

• Data centers pay millions annually in property and equipment taxes—especially once tax abatements expire.

• They don’t strain schools, police, or public health the way residential or high-traffic developments do.

• Example: Loudoun County, VA (home to “Data Center Alley”) gets over 70% of its commercial tax revenue from data centers, while only ~5% of county services go to them.

2. Higher-wage jobs—even if fewer in number

• Most centers employ 50–150 full-time workers: electricians, HVAC techs, network engineers, cybersecurity pros, etc.

• Salaries average $75,000–$110,000—2x the local median income.

• They also create indirect jobs: security, food vendors, fiber contractors, and UPS/battery maintenance firms.

Stability and resilience

• Tech infrastructure is less volatile than tourism or manufacturing.

• Cloud, AI, and storage demand keeps growing—especially with the rise of remote work, streaming, and AI training models.

4. Smart image upgrade for a struggling city

• Hosting state-of-the-art cloud or AI infrastructure changes perception.

• It tells investors and young workers: “We’re not stuck in the past. We’re future-ready.”

• It may attract ancillary tech firms (cybersecurity, biotech, media streaming, AI startups, etc.).

IS THERE A CATCH?

Yes, and it needs to be managed wisely:

“Job-Light” Risk

• Critics say: “You’re handing tax breaks to billion-dollar companies that hire 100 people total.”

• This is true unless you build a broader tech cluster strategy: training pipelines, co-location with IT firms, university partnerships, and requiring community benefits.

Energy Use + Public Perception

• Data centers are energy hogs—even with clean hydro. Locals may push back if they think Facebook or Amazon is “stealing our power” without giving back.

• NY State temporarily banned crypto mining for this reason, but AI/data centers are not banned if they follow emissions standards

• Niagara Falls should not only be open to more crypto mining facilities establishing businesses within the City limits, the City should be collecting a share of the bitcoin mined & create its own Bitcoin Strategic Reserve.

STRATEGIC PLAY FOR NIAGARA FALLS (2040 VISION)

Niagara Falls can become the East Coast’s cleanest, coldest data-center corridor. Here’s a playbook:

1. Zone 100–200 acres for phased tech campus use

• Target parcels with access to hydro power and industrial zoning

2. Build public-private power deals with NYPA

• Discounted green energy in exchange for local jobs, training programs, and tax guarantees

3. Launch a Tech Trades Workforce Program

• Partner with NCCC, UB, and trades unions to train electricians, cooling techs, IT staff

• Turn 18-month certificates into $70–100k/year careers

4. Make tech companies give back

• Require community benefits: fund youth STEM programs, before & after school programs, summer youth programs, broadband access, local incubators.

5. Market the hell out of it

• “Niagara: Where Data Flows Like Water”—turn your hydro into a brand identity

• Build a national image as the green-tech gateway to Canada

BOTTOM LINE

Yes—leaning into tech and allowing data centers is one of the smartest economic development bets Niagara Falls can make by 2040.

It’s not a silver bullet. But it’s a viable anchor that:

• builds on natural strengths,

• generates stable long-term revenue,

• and opens doors for blue-collar workers to transition into new-collar careers.

It’s not about turning Niagara Falls into Silicon Valley.

It’s about evolving beyond the Industrial Revolution—Because, newsflash…It is over with and we’ve seen enough of what happens when you don’t plan & prepare for a future that is unavoidable. You cannot stop technology & our City is uniquely positioned to reverse decades of suffering by embracing the future & having the ability to be brave and bold during a period of great change.