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A massive data center could be coming to west Lakeland.
A Tampa-area developer is proposing a project of up to 600,000 square feet on 60.5 acres of currently undeveloped land near Old Tampa Highway and Wilkinson Road. The proposal, called “Project Swan,” shows three data center buildings, large mechanical yards, stormwater ponds, and an electrical substation at 923 Wilkinson Road.
It is the first hyperscale-style data center proposed within Lakeland’s city limits — but city officials say the project is in its earliest stage and may face basic questions about whether the use is allowed under the current city code.
The proposal lands as Central Florida is seeing a surge of large data center projects tied to artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Lakeland commissioners recently discussed the issue in response to a controversial 4.4-million-square-foot project proposed in Fort Meade.
Also read our companion article
First formal review
Kimley-Horn applied May 5 for concept plan review on behalf of Ryan Companies U.S. Inc.
“We’ve had meetings and informal discussions about this site and others,” Community and Economic Development Director Brian Rewis said, “but none that have gotten to this stage of comment and review.”
He stressed that the city did not initiate the project and has not approved or endorsed it.
“All we are doing at this point is processing an application for conceptual development review,” Rewis said.
The concept plan review is intended to give applicants early feedback from various city departments about whether a project is feasible and what hurdles it would need to clear.
A key code question
One of the biggest early questions is whether Lakeland’s land development code currently allows a data center.
Rewis said data centers are not listed in the code. “To our reading of our own code, there is no comparable use to a data center,” he said. “Which means if it’s not allowed, it’s prohibited.”
That does not necessarily end the proposal. But it means the applicant would have to convince the city that the project fits an existing allowed use, seek zoning and land-use changes, or wait for the city to amend its code.
Details remain unknown
The application does not identify the eventual tenant or operator. It does not say whether the facility would be used for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cryptocurrency, or another purpose.
It also does not list estimated water demand, solid waste generation, traffic impacts, noise, lighting, buffering, or electrical demand.
Rewis said those details would be required if the applicant moves from concept review to an engineered site plan review.
The substation shown on the concept plan gives at least some indication of the project’s potential power needs, Rewis said.
“You see that it includes roughly a 3.8-acre substation area, which, without a tremendous amount of technical detail, at least gives you an idea of the electric demand that this thing is going to have,” he said.
The plan does not show how power would get to the site.
The property
The project site includes four parcels, and part of the land is in unincorporated Polk County.
Rewis said the county portion would need to be annexed into Lakeland before the full project could move forward. Those parcels would also need city land-use designations and zoning.
Property records show Holmes Beach Family Tides LLC bought a 13.8-acre parcel from a private landowner in January 2023 for $406,000. It bought three other parcels from Old Tampa Hwy Investments for about $2.5 million in May 2023.
Old Tampa Hwy had acquired the largest of the three — 24.03 acres — nine months earlier from Green Technologies LLC for $1.1 million. Chief Planner Matt Lyons said that parcel is zoned for a biosolids fertilizer processing facility that was approved years ago but never built.
Old Tampa Hwy bought its other two parcels, totaling 15.93 acres and 6.68 acres, from Habitat for Humanity for $950,000 in August 2020. Lyons said Habitat for Humanity considered putting a residential development there, but odors from the wastewater plant created challenges for housing.
The neighbors
The site abuts the city-owned West Lakeland Wasteload Reduction Facility, which processes about 3.75 million gallons of industrial wastewater per day.
To the north, across Old Tampa Highway, is McLane Lakeland, a distribution company that focuses on deliveries to restaurants and convenience stores.
To the east, across Wilkinson Road, there are at least six homes, including one that operates Black Bee Energy, a small-scale apiary and beehive maker.
There are at least nine single-family homes scattered around the perimeter.
The new owner
Holmes Beach Family Tides is owned by investor, licensed construction financial officer, and serial entrepreneur Joel Schachter, 55, of Lutz.
Schachter also owns Sebring International Golf Resort and is tied to several other companies, including Rainmaker360 LLC, Service Drywall Company Inc., Journey’s End Investments LLC, and Hanlon Acoustical Ceilings Inc.
A voicemail message to Schachter was not returned Thursday, May 28.
What’s next
The concept is scheduled for discussion by city reviewers at a June 3 Development Review Team meeting.
That meeting is not open to the public or press. Rewis said it is an early staff review, not a public hearing or final decision.
Rewis sent an email last week to City Manager Shawn Sherrouse and other senior city officials, assuring them that staff are “appropriately sensitive to the use and impacts” and would keep city officials informed as the project is reviewed further.
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Keep close tabs on the zoning board, city commissioners and county commissioners to make sure they don’t sign nondisclosure agreements related to this project or give them huge tax breaks. Also they need to study and share the environmental, water, electrical, and road impacts and with the noise (hum) before voting on it. Read through the Facebook posts on “Watchdogs of Fort Meade” to see how those in charge will ram this through whether or not there is public opposition or any zoning regulations that prohibit it.