Why is property being bought up in western Sedgwick County? Residents fear data centers

Hundreds of acres in west Sedgwick County are being bought by out-of-state tech companies, and nearby residents fear the property could become home to hyperscale data centers.

Much of the land that’s been sold is farmland that produces wheat, soybeans and corn.

The possibility the land could be converted to data centers alarms some west Sedgwick County residents, who say they have made long-term investments in their homesteads for future generations and depend on the land for their livelihoods.

“I’m caring about my grandchildren, my children. What about their future? What do they have to look forward to?” Garden Plain resident Jennifer Bugner said. “Not a whole lot if we keep going like this.”

Bugner’s family has lived in Garden Plain for generations, mainly farming and cattle ranching.

A data center would threaten their way of life, she said.

Her family’s home sits directly across the street from a site that is hundreds of acres and is now owned by tech companies.

“Everything about this is not good,” Bugner said.

Other families from west Sedgwick County, mainly in the Renwick School District, have banded together to crowd into Sedgwick County Commission meetings to fight back against the companies that have been buying land.

The group has identified several sites across the county that tech companies have bought over the last year, including in Andale, Colwich, and Garden Plain. The group says landowners who sell have had to sign non-disclosure agreements.

Sedgwick County may extend 90-day-moratorium on data centers

Data centers are mainly used to store computers, processing equipment and other technology for running artificial intelligence or cloud systems.

Experts note that the centers can lead to power strains for surrounding areas and use greater quantities of water to cool systems inside them, leading to drought concerns.

Sedgwick County recently placed a 90-day moratorium on building such data centers and is now looking at extending it into mid-June. Harvey County recently adopted a three-year moratorium.

“The Board of County Commissioners is set on exploring all possibilities and not rushing the data center zoning process,” a release by the county read.

Companies began buying land in the county and state after the Kansas Legislature passed tax incentives for hyperscale data centers to build in the state last year.

Just after the tax incentives went into effect last summer, land was sold near Kaitlyn Gruenbacher’s home outside Colwich, county property records show.

She’s worried now about what that could mean for her family and the investments they’ve made in their property since living there.

“Not to say that these aren’t coming, not to say that we don’t need these, but let’s slow down and let’s do them well, it’s all we’re saying,” Gruenbacher said. “Let’s do them respectfully. Let’s do them strategically. Let’s do them well. Let’s make sure we’re protected.”

Who is buying land in western Sedgwick County?

Most of the companies buying land appear to be smaller, including Prairie Digital Campus LLC based in Chicago, and Monarch Energy, based in Santa Cruz, Calif., according to county property tax records.

It’s not clear whether they have links to any larger companies that are pushing for the expansion of data centers across the country.

The Eagle tried to reach these companies for comment. However, when an Eagle reporter tried submitting a contact form on Monarch Energy’s website, it said it couldn’t process the submission due to a “server issue.”

Now, some state lawmakers are pressuring local governments to put a moratorium on data centers.

That includes Sen. Chase Blasi of Andale, who released a public letter asking Sedgwick County to extend its moratorium to three years.

Blasi did not vote in favor of the incentives passed last year.

If the county doesn’t take action, Blasi said, he’s likely to introduce legislation that would force technology companies to slow down their developments.

“I think it’s incumbent upon these companies to have public meetings to explain what they’re working on and to answer all these questions and concerns,” Blasi said, “and that’s what my request is that the commission gives us a pause, and these companies come address people directly.”

Sedgwick County Commissioner Stephanie Wise, who represents the area, said in a county meeting Friday that she’s in no rush to create regulations and review policies for data centers, but she doesn’t agree with Blasi’s proposed three-year pause.

“This is super important that we have the time to do this right,” Wise said.

What people say about data centers in Sedgwick County

Proponents of data centers say they could bring economic benefits to rural areas that need it.

“The good thing about data centers … in our territory is it allows Sedgwick County Electric to receive additional revenues to offset rising costs, delaying rate increases,” Scott Ayers, Sedgwick County Electrical Cooperative CEO, told the Sedgwick County Commission in a recent meeting. Ayers said the cooperative would work with data centers to provide power to them.

To be eligible for the sales tax exemption, companies must make a $250 million investment within five years. The law requires data companies to bring in 20 full-time jobs for Kansas residents.

Sales tax exemptions for data centers last for 20 years. Depending on where they are in the state, companies could also use property tax abatements offered by local government for economic development, meaning surrounding communities might not see any immediate monetary benefits from having the centers.

“These are trillion-dollar companies making billion dollar investments, and we’re giving them all this money to do this,” Colwich resident Patrick Kraus said.

A recent University of Michigan study says data centers can include costs like increased utility rates and higher water consumption.

“A single data center can consume up to 2 megawatt hours of power — equivalent to the power used by 2,000 homes — and millions of gallons of water annually for cooling, straining local resources and infrastructure,” the study found.

People in the Renwick group worry about the effects the centers could have on the water supply in their area, as well as what it could mean for their livestock.

The group is hosting their own informational session about data centers at 7 p.m. March 2 at Colwich Elementary.

Sedgwick County will also have two town halls later in the month. A town hall with the county’s commissioners will be held at 6 p.m. March 12 at the Ruffin Building, 9111 E Douglas, where commissioners regularly meet. The second will be held March 31 with the county’s Planning Department. A time and location have yet to be set.

Many in the Renwick group said if data centers are built near their homes, they’ll be forced to relocate their families who have been there for generations.

“We feed America. We are the heartland of America,” Bugner said. “Who’s gonna feed the world here?”

This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 6:11 AM.