Tensions are mounting over a 300,000-square-foot Pittsburg data center approved two years ago, with residents citing a lack of transparency and a councilmember reporting death threats as the facility could later expand from 99 to 500 megawatts.Pittsburg City Councilmember Arlene Kobata says she was recently confronted by a citizen at a public event who approached her angrily over the city’s approval of the data center, as NBC Bay Area reports. Kobata says the woman grabbed her, shoved her several times, and exchanged heated words with her.The new facility, called the AVAIO Perseus Data Center, will be designed for high-capacity computing, including AI, cloud services, and government and enterprise infrastructure. It’s slated for the former Pittsburg municipal golf course, as part of a larger 76-acre, three-phase development along the Contra Costa Canal.Per AVAIO Digital, the first phase is planned for 99 megawatts of power capacity, though the company says the facility could eventually be expanded to as much as 500 megawatts.According to KPIX, the city closed the golf course in 2018 before announcing plans for a business and technology park. For some residents, the scale of the project came as a surprise after the city’s earlier description.“Well, I thought I knew what a business park was. And I thought I knew what a technology park was. But apparently, I didn't,” Pittsburg homeowner Keesha Johnson said, speaking to KPIX. “And when I looked at the pictures. When I heard ‘hyperscale’ and all of these things starting to trend on NextDoor, I looked it up. And I said this does not belong in a residential neighborhood.”The project reportedly received final approval two years ago, but opposition has grown over concerns about the amount of electricity and water it could require, along with emissions and the potential effects on nearby wetlands and other ecosystems connected to the Delta corridor, as the town of Pittsburg borders the southern edge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Center for Biological Diversity sued last year before reaching an agreement with Pittsburg and the data center developers requiring environmental measures including 100% renewable energy, rooftop solar, recycled water, zero-emission construction equipment, and wildlife monitoring. The deal also includes a $750,000 payment for climate resiliency projects in exchange for the organization dropping its lawsuit and agreeing not to oppose the project’s first phase.Residents have also questioned how many jobs the development would actually bring to Pittsburg, while criticizing the approval process as insufficiently transparent, particularly because the data center is adjacent to residential development.The opposition has drawn hundreds of residents to public meetings. About 400 people attended a June meeting to voice their concerns, with resident Allen Tatomer describing the group as unusually organized and engaged, as KPIX reported at the time.“We've never had this kind of response,” Tatomer said. “This is a very unified, very articulate, very passionate group of people.”The company says the planned facility will be primarily air-cooled and will use recycled water, while the city says its power supply would run through infrastructure separate from the residential PGE grid. Those assurances have not resolved concerns among residents who say they still do not have enough information about the project or its potential effect on the surrounding area.A petition opposing the development calls instead for the property to be used for parks and recreation, family amenities, small businesses, mixed-use retail and dining, community gathering spaces, and other green development that opponents say would provide broader benefits to Pittsburg residents.Kobata tells NBC Bay Area the physical confrontation came amid a broader wave of harassment directed at her and others involved with the project, including emails and death threats. She says the threats have not changed her position on the development, which she maintains will not harm the community or drain local natural resources.Kobata previously served on the city’s planning commission and supported the project as compliant with California environmental regulations. She was not on the City Council when the data center received its approval.She says she will continue speaking in support of the project despite the threats.“We’re tough, we’re still gonna stand tough for what we believe is right for the residents,” Kobata said, speaking to NBC Bay Area.Pittsburg Mayor Dionne Adams has also condemned the threats, saying residents should be able to oppose the project without resorting to violence. The city has reportedly paused further action on the development while conducting additional community outreach.Meanwhile, opposition to data centers has been growing elsewhere in the Bay Area, with some cities considering moratoriums or other restrictions on new facilities. San Francisco and Oakland are currently considering 45-day moratoriums, while Oakley, Gilroy, and Richmond have already passed moratoriums.Previously: East Bay Residents Fight Plans For Massive Data Center Adjacent to Contra Costa Canal ...read more read less