Leaders in Eatonville are set to consider a new set of accountability measures for a years-long data center project.
On Tuesday, the town council will discuss a measure to increase daily fines until key site commitments are met for the under-construction HostDime AI Data Center.
The project has been in development for several years, with its completion date pushed back multiple times. Originally scheduled for completion by July 31, 2025, the project’s required operational deadline was first extended to Oct. 29, 2020 — an early adjustment made during the planning phase.
After two amendments to the town’s agreement to extend completion deadlines, a third amendment is being considered that would raise the daily penalty for missing established milestones to $500 per day.
Construction on the $100 million, 100,000-square-foot AI-ready facility is nearing its final stage with HostDime expecting the building to fully open in the third quarter of 2026.
The Town of Eatonville provided $200,000 in reimbursements to cover third-party design and construction costs for potable water and sewer connections. As the project nears completion, the Eatonville Town Council has faced growing pushback from local residents raising concerns about the facility’s long-term impact on noise levels, utility bills, water resources and power infrastructure.
The recommended amendment would make it legally binding for the Town Council to withhold the final certificate of occupancy if the developer fails to meet site commitments. Those commitments include mandatory sound dampening, water resource impact compliance, operational utility standards and adherence to local, county, state and federal regulations.
Under the previous amendments, the town was authorized to collect daily contractual fines of $250 per day through December 2025. The council is now considering levying additional fines from that point forward until all safety codes and site criteria are fully satisfied. The proposed amendment also calls for ongoing community engagement to protect the interests of Eatonville residents and businesses.
The town council will discuss the proposal during a meeting on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.