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1 data center project in Unincorporated Linn County

Who decides here: the Linn County Board of Supervisors decides on zoning for land outside city and town limits.

In Unincorporated Linn County

Proposed

Google data center campus near Duane Arnold nuclear plant (Palo area)

Unincorporated Linn County, Linn County

545 acres · for Google

🕒 Aug 10, 2026: Linn County supervisors declined to allow large data centers next to nuclear plants duri…

Nearby (within 15 miles)

Being builtabout 9 miles away

QTS data center campus at Big Cedar Industrial Center (Cedar Rapids)

Cedar Rapids, Linn County

612 acres

🕒 Dec 2, 2025: City Council unanimously approved changes to the deal: up to seven phases, each at least…

Being builtabout 9 miles away

Google data center at Big Cedar Industrial Center (Cedar Rapids)

Cedar Rapids, Linn County

for Google

🕒 May 30, 2025: Google announced $7 billion for Iowa over two years, including a new data center in Ceda…

Approved, not built yetabout 9 miles away

Oppidan data center at 1515 33rd Ave. SW (Cedar Rapids)

Cedar Rapids, Linn County

🕒 July 8, 2026: City confirmed a third data center is planned on the southwest side.

Proposedabout 9 miles away

Aurum Capital Ventures data center (Central City)

Central City, Linn County

🕒 Sept 17, 2026: Central City council members said they support the proposed data center while they work …

Reported in the news, not confirmed yet

Local votes and rules

📌 Other

Supervisors decided not to change the county's EU-2 zoning district, which would have let big data centers locate near the Duane Arnold nuclear plant near Palo before the county's pause ends. A supervisor said there was not broad public support.

Aug 10, 2026Source

⏸️ Pause on new data centers

Supervisors voted 2-1 to stop taking new requests to rezone land into the county's data center district for 18 months, even though the county passed data center rules in February. Cities like Cedar Rapids and Palo are not covered.

July 1, 2026Source

📜 Data center rules

Supervisors voted unanimously to make a new zoning district just for big data centers in the countryside. Builders must stay 1,000 feet from homes zoned residential, study their water use, sign a water deal with the county, limit noise and light, pay for road damage, and hold a public meeting first. It does not apply inside Cedar Rapids or other cities.

Feb 2026Source
Built & runningBeing builtApproved, not built yetProposedStopped or cancelled

What you can do

  1. Get told first.
    We'll email you if anything changes in Unincorporated Linn County.
  2. Go to county meetings.
    Anyone can speak. Big projects usually need a public hearing.
  3. Ask questions in writing.
    Use our checklist.
📣 Report something here

🔔 Get told first

We'll email you when something changes in Unincorporated Linn County. Nothing else.

⚡ Your electric company

Depending on where you live in Unincorporated Linn County: Interstate Power and Light Co. (company) or Linn County Rec (co-op (owned by its members)) or Midamerican Energy Co. (company) or Maquoketa Valley Rrl Electric Co-op (co-op (owned by its members)) or East-central Iowa Rural Electric Co-op (co-op (owned by its members)).

Big data centers need a lot of power. Who pays for new power lines depends on state rules. See the rules in Iowa.

🙋 Open tasks here

  • Will Google or the landowners file to annex the land into Palo?
  • How much Cedar River water would the campus use per day? Reports say about 12 million (KCRG) or about 14 million (Iowa Public Radio) gallons a day.
  • Did Palo officials sign a secret deal (NDA) with Google?

How to help →