Urbacon projects tax revenue

Analysis submitted by MRB group

• New analysis, based on actual property tax data, shows that – as the first phase of the “Data Center at Niagara Digital Campus” – “Parcel 0” would generate more than $54 million in property tax revenue over 20 years, compared to just over $600,000 if the land is unimproved.

• If taken off the tax rolls completely through eminent domain, tax revenues on Parcel 0 would be zero.

• For the full data center project, analysis shows $208 million in property tax revenues over 20 years, versus just $5 million in tax revenues on the unimproved land

September 24, 2025 (Niagara Falls, NY) – An updated analysis released today by MRB Group – a leading, Rochester-based, economic development consulting firm – demonstrates the enormous impact the $1.5 billion Data Center at Niagara Digital Campus will have on property taxes in the City of Niagara Falls.

If built as detailed in the more than 500-page Planned Unit Development (PUD) petition prepared by the developer, Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR), and currently before the City of Niagara Falls Planning Board, the full development of the Data Center at Niagara Digital Campus would generate approximately $208 million in property tax revenues over 20 years, versus just $5 million on the unimproved land during that time.

Moreover, even for the first phase of the data center project – planned for the private NFR property known as “Parcel 0” that the City of Niagara Falls is trying to acquire through a range of litigation tactics – the increase in tax revenues to the city would also be significant: more than $54 million in over 20 years, compared to just over $600,000 in tax revenue if the land is unimproved.

By contrast, if taken off the tax rolls completely through eminent domain, tax revenues for the land subject to the eminent domain litigation would be zero. Acquisition of the land, which the Mayor of the City of Niagara Falls has said is to be used for the development of an as-of-yet-unfunded $200+ million Centennial Park event center, is currently mired in litigation. The City has already earmarked $4 million to purchase less than half of the land, but the ultimate fair market value will be determined by the courts.

Charts showing the analysis of additional property tax revenues to the City of Niagara Falls can be found here. Infographics that illustrate the increased tax revenue data can be found here.

The Data Center at Niagara Digital Campus is being developed by NFR in conjunction with Urbacon Data Centre Solutions, a Toronto-based developer of state-of-the art data centers. Among its accomplishments, Urbacon has developed award-winning data centers in other high-density, urban locations, including in Toronto and Montreal.

Analysis Follows MRB Group’s Full Economic Development Study

The recent tax-revenue analysis is in follow-up to MRB Group’s full March 2025 economic study, which examined the economic and fiscal impact of the Data Center at Niagara Digital Campus. That analysis showed that, in addition to property taxes, more than $188 million in sales tax and gross receipts tax revenues on the data center’s electricity use would flow to the City, School District and State during the 20-year study period.

The full March 2025 report can be found here.

“Our data continues to show economic benefits of this project,” said Michael N’dolo, National Director of Economic Development Services at MRB Group. “With full tax data, we have been able to determine the increase in tax revenues from current levels. The benefits to Niagara Falls’ taxpayers are tremendous.”

“This would appear to be the right project for the City of Niagara Falls, at exactly the right time,” N’dolo added.

Niagara Digital Campus will Increase Commercial Tax Roles by 40 Percent

To put the numbers into perspective: according to the City’s 2025 proposed budget, the total Taxable Assessed Value (TAV) of all non-residential properties in the City of Niagara Falls is $399,524,044. According to the MRB Group analysis, the Data Center at Niagara Digital Campus would add approximately $160 million in TAV to the non-residential (also known as “non-homestead”) tax rolls – increasing the city’s commercial tax base by approximately 40%.

In addition to tax revenues to the City, County, School District and State, the March MRB report showed that the Data Center at Niagara Digital Campus would be a tremendous job generator for the City of Niagara Falls over the next 20 years. The MRB report showed that the data center project would generate 19,238 job-years (construction jobs, permanent jobs, and indirect jobs) over that period with more than $1.6 billion in wages. This equates to an annual average of 962 jobs each year, with $83.1 million in wages. In addition to more than 6,000 construction jobs, the project would create an estimated 771 permanent jobs, including 550 direct jobs and more than 200 indirect jobs, resulting in more than $45 million in wages.

“The numbers can’t be any clearer. The Data Center at Niagara Digital Campus provides real impact—not only through sales tax on electricity, but through direct property tax revenues,” said Roger Trevino, NFR’s Executive Vice President. “The residents of this great city deserve a project that promotes generational change, through career-building jobs, high-tech opportunity, and tremendous additional tax revenues to the City of Niagara Falls.”