Susana SchwartzData center developers: initiate proactive, intentional community engagement
Community opposition has become one of the most disruptive operational and legal bottlenecks for data center delivery with grassroots groups and local opposition successfully blocking or delaying more than $68 billion worth of data center projects in the second quarter of 2026 alone. What can developers and owners do to fight misinformation before it takes root in a community?
According to CEO Meghan Reckling of Victory Field Operations, who spoke to RCRTech from YOTTA in Las Vegas, proactively educating communities before data center developers seek reviews or permits can lead to 8:1 margins, as opposed to 3:1 margins. “If there is intentional community engagement ahead of the permitting, which can take anywhere from 3 to 12 months of engagement, you can bridge the gaps between what the industry is saying and what residents feel.”
Reckling’s Data Center Field Intelligence says mapping community sentiment to projects and educating “persuadable” neighbors can help neutralize local NIMBY opposition that is based on misinformation.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
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