The Hermantown City Council has unanimously approved a package of measures allowing a proposed Google data center to advance in northeastern Minnesota, despite sustained opposition and unresolved litigation over the project.
Council members voted Friday night after four hours of public comment and roughly an hour of their own discussion. The meeting ended shortly before midnight. The six approvals included a development agreement, a special-use permit and a decommissioning plan intended to govern what happens if the facility is not completed or is later abandoned.
The planned complex would cover about 1.7 million square feet on more than 200 acres in a rural residential part of Hermantown, outside Duluth. The votes clear important local land-use and development requirements, but they do not end the dispute: three lawsuits connected with the proposal are still outstanding.
The council had initially been scheduled to consider the project on Monday. That meeting was canceled after two hours of chanting and demonstrations outside the council chambers. Officials first moved the meeting to Tuesday and then rescheduled it again for Friday. Attendance at the eventual meeting was capped at 85 people, with online viewing and advance email comments offered instead of the overflow room used at earlier sessions.
Those restrictions became another point of conflict. The grassroots group Stop the Hermantown Data Center has repeatedly asked the city to use a larger venue, arguing that residents should have broader in-person access to a decision with major local consequences. Opponents have also focused on the proposed site's scale and its location in a rural residential area.
Councilmember John Geissler framed the decision as a land-use matter rather than a referendum on artificial intelligence or the technology industry. He said the council's task was to decide the application and its associated agreements after an extended review. The unanimous votes indicate that the five-member body accepted the negotiated conditions despite the intensity of public criticism.
The Hermantown fight reflects a wider backlash against large data centers, whose land, electricity and water requirements have made them increasingly contentious in local politics. In nearby Farmington, another proposed data-center project is subject to a more extensive state-supervised environmental review following a lawsuit settlement.
For Hermantown, Friday's approvals move the Google proposal forward but do not guarantee construction. The pending lawsuits can still affect the timetable or terms, while the public dispute is likely to continue through local elections. Three first-time candidates are seeking two council seats, with the data-center controversy helping motivate their campaigns.
