Overview
- A memorandum circulated to Sutton’s Select Board this week confirmed a Kraft Group and Unified Global Packaging Group proposal for a data‑center campus on land off Boston and Providence roads.
- The developers estimate a 10‑building campus of about 2.5 million square feet that would draw roughly 900 megawatts and involve about $16 billion in private investment, with the first two buildings targeted to open in 2029 and build‑out by 2033.
- Town financial modeling projects the first two buildings could generate about $10.4 million in annual property taxes once fully assessed in fiscal 2031 and roughly $27.8 million a year at full build‑out in fiscal 2035, which would sharply lower average homeowner bills.
- Local reviewers and residents have flagged unresolved technical and environmental issues — including where 900 MW of power would come from, water and wastewater needs, noise from generators, traffic and emergency‑service impacts — and developers say they are in early talks with ISO New England and exploring treated wastewater for cooling.
- No application or permit has been filed; the project would need technical studies, possible zoning changes requiring a Planning Board hearing and a two‑thirds Town Meeting vote, a negotiated community benefits agreement and compliance with recent state policies tightening data‑center rules.