Servistar data center campus in Westfield
Also called: Westfield Data Center Campus, Servistar Data Center
A developer wants to build up to 10 data center buildings (2.7 million square feet) on about 155 acres near the Westfield airport over 10 to 15 years. The city approved it in 2021, but no land has been bought and no work has started. A news report in 2025 found signs the project was abandoned; in 2026 the developer said it is still moving ahead and asked for more time.
Where things stand: Planning Board approved it in 2021, but nothing has been built. In Sept 2026 the board put off a vote on a 3-year extension and asked city lawyers if the permit is still valid. The permit lapses Oct 19, 2026 unless a building permit is pulled or it is extended.
🕒 Latest update (Sept 15, 2026): Planning Board voted to delay a decision on a 3-year permit extension and asked the city Law Department if the permit is still valid.
What we know
- 📍 Where199 Servistar Industrial Way, near Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, Westfield, Hampden County
- 🏢 CompanyServistar Realties LLC
- 🌳 Size155 acres
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromPower from Eversource through a new substation run by the city utility, Westfield Gas & Electric. Two big power lines already cross the site. Backup generators would run on natural gas.
- ❄️ CoolingClosed-loop cooling, says the developer
- 💸 Tax breaksCity Council approved a 40-year deal in 2021 where the developer pays set amounts instead of normal property taxes. The state says that deal is not in effect yet because approvals are missing. A 2024 state law also lets qualifying data centers skip most state sales tax.
- 👷 Jobs promised400
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Is the 2021 special permit still valid, and will the Planning Board extend it? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much power would it use? Reports range from about 18-42 MW of computer load to 274 MW at full build-out. 🙋 I'll find out
- How much would it cost? Reports range from $2.5 billion to $4 billion. 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water would it use per day? The developer says no more than 10,000 gallons and none from the Barnes Aquifer. 🙋 I'll find out
- Who is the tenant? The developer says it cannot share a name. 🙋 I'll find out
- Was a secret deal (NDA) signed with the city or utility? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- May 2021Developers brought the data center plan to Westfield.
- Oct 2021City Council conditionally approved a 40-year payment deal in place of property taxes.
- Oct 19, 2021Planning Board granted a special permit for the campus.
- Feb 2022Developer withdrew from a study of the power grid upgrades the site would need.
- Nov 20, 2024Governor signed a law giving qualifying data centers a state sales tax break.
- Dec 2024The Servistar company was dissolved by the state for paperwork reasons; it can be reinstated.
- July 2026City Council passed a one-year pause on new data centers. It does not cover this already-approved project.
- Sept 15, 2026Planning Board voted to delay a decision on a 3-year permit extension and asked the city Law Department if the permit is still valid.
Local votes and rules
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
The City Council voted unanimously for a one-year pause on data centers. No data center applications can be accepted or approved during that time. The first vote was June 18 and the final vote July 6, after the Planning Board recommended it. City officials have said it does not affect the Servistar project approved in 2021, but that is not settled.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- AI hallucination? Proposed Westfield data center appears abandoned by developers · The Shoestring · Dec 30, 2025
- Westfield residents are up in arms over $4 billion data center · The Boston Globe · July 14, 2026
- Westfield Planning Board postpones decision on data center permit extension · The Reminder · Sept 17, 2026
- A multibillion-dollar data center project is coming to Western Mass. · Westmass Area Development Corp. (reprint of Boston Globe) · Nov 2024
- Ban, ban, ban: data center discontent reaches western Massachusetts · The Shoestring · July 2, 2026
- Massive data center development targeting Western Massachusetts could be nation's biggest · Bisnow · Aug 30, 2021
- Census geocoder: 199 Servistar Industrial Way · US Census Bureau · Oct 8, 2026
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