The City Council on Wednesday adopted a project plan for the proposed $800 million data center and approved an ordinance creating an incentive district for the project.
The vote was the last major step in the city's bid to attract major investment to Far East Tulsa.
The proposed project would be built on approximately 340 acres south and west of the intersection of 11th Street and Creek Turnpike.
City officials have not revealed the name of the company behind the project, known as Project Anthem, but the developer's official name is listed as Atmos LLC.
The tax district, approved by City Council members Wednesday, will last up to 25 years and will give new property owners an 85% annual exemption on the company's property taxes.
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The 15% levied is estimated to raise a total of more than $36 million over the life of the tax incentive district for the City of Tulsa, Wagoner County, Catoosa Public Schools, and other affected taxing entities, according to the TID Project. plan.
The TID will not take effect until December 2030, when construction of the project is substantially complete.
Councilors also approved agreements Wednesday with other taxing entities participating in TID.
If the project moves forward, construction is expected to begin by March 30, 2026, according to a pre-approved development agreement.
On Wednesday night, multiple speakers questioned the wisdom of the project, citing a lack of transparency, the large tax breaks offered to developers, and concerns about the project's potential environmental impact.
Chairwoman Susan Frederick reminded councilors that the project is not expected to create many full-time jobs at the site once it is complete.
Once operational, the data center is expected to employ 50 full-time employees, according to planning documents provided to the city.
“It's an 85% tax cut for 25 years,” Frederick said. “I mean, do the math.”
Spencer Mitchell, director of economic incentives for Partners Tulsa, the city's economic development arm, told City Council members that it is common for companies not to reveal their names when negotiating large projects, and that He said details of the anthem have been discussed at multiple public meetings.
“In many cases, naming a company can create some kind of political support or political opposition for certain incentives, and making decisions like those that are waiting for them to make regarding location. “It could be,” Mitchell said. “So this is quite normal in these types of agreements.”
He also highlighted what he described as benefits of the project, including that the company will contribute a minimum of $62.5 million to the City Project Fund, which will be used to develop public infrastructure adjacent to the Project Anthem site.
Additionally, Mitchell said the developer will be responsible for all infrastructure at the project site.
Project Anthem will be the first commercial project to break ground in the Fair Oaks Industrial Park, a 2,000-acre development that is the centerpiece of the city's efforts to establish an advanced mobility industry hub.
The project is expected to generate up to $3.3 billion in economic activity and more than 5,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs during the four-year construction period, according to planning documents provided to the Tulsa Metropolitan Planning Commission. It is.
The data center is expected to generate up to $50 million in direct and indirect economic activity in its first year of operation.
Mayor GT Bynum said: “I would like to thank the City Council for reaffirming our commitment to this project and the further development of this site.” “This is a community-wide effort, and we believe in the opportunities that will emerge from the Fair Oaks Industrial Park.”
Until recently, no public records even named the legal entity behind Project Anthem, and an attorney representing the developer said it was too early in the project to reveal the company's name.
But Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has recently announced or begun building several data centers elsewhere that fit the general description of Project Anthem.