Iowa Data Center Boom Continues with $255 Million Project Alluvion

Another mystery data center project may land in Iowa, with the city of West Des Moines set to review an application for Project Alluvion - a $255 million data center project from an unnamed company.

The Des Moines Register reports that city documents indicate the mystery company plans an investment that would add at least $255 million to the city tax base, and create 84 jobs. Once given the green light by the city council, the application goes to the Iowa Economic Development Authority asking for state assistance for the proposed development.

With the term Alluvion referring to an increase in the area of land over time, the data center will be built in four phases, with the city throwing in $18 million in tax increment financing to help pay for infrastructure improvements and development costs. Project Alluvion would carry a minimum taxable valuation of $255 million, which does not indicate the final costs for the project.

By comparison Microsoft's data center in West Des Moines was given a 2013 taxable valuation just under $146 million.

“If the project comes to fruition and if we’re able to get it done, I think we’re very excited about it,” City Councilman John Mickelson said Friday. “It will add to our property tax base in West Des Moines and it will add some new jobs and it will open up infrastructure in a new part of town.”

Microsoft announced plans last summer under the code name Project Mountain for a $679.1 million expansion of its West Des Moines data center, bringing its total Iowa investment to $864 million.

That expansion was part of over $1.4 billion in data center projects for Iowa, which witnessed another expansion of the Google data center in Council Bluffs and a $300 million project for Facebook in Altoona (project Catapult). Later in 2013 another code-named project, project Oasis turned out to be Travelers Insurance, which landed in a suburb of Omaha.