If you know me, you know I don’t usually get on a soapbox. But this one is personal.
There is a proposed data center in the city of Coachella, and I am appalled. Not as a realtor. As someone who grew up there. As someone whose family had a business there for 25 years. As someone who considers the east end of this valley home.
What’s Actually Being Proposed
We’re talking about 450 acres in the city of Coachella, just two miles from a school. The company backing it is also in the solar business, which tells you a lot about who benefits financially here. And when you go to IID’s own FAQ page and look at the listed benefits for the Coachella Valley? There are four. One of them is literally footnoted to clarify it means “mainly temporary construction jobs.” That’s it. That’s the pitch.
The Real Costs No One Is Talking About
Data centers consume millions of gallons of water to cool their servers. In a valley already facing a water shortage, that matters. On top of that, residents who live near existing data centers report hearing a constant low-frequency hum. We don’t have long-term health research on the effects yet, and that alone should give any city official pause.
As a realtor, I can also tell you this clearly: a data center does nothing for home values. We can barely sell homes that back up to a big-box retail warehouse. A 1,000,000 square foot server facility is not a selling point for anyone.
Why Every Valley Resident Needs to Show Up
This is not just a Coachella issue. Whether you’re in Palm Desert, Cathedral City, or Thermal, this affects you. I want to give a huge shout-out to Elizabeth Humphreys and the team at More Than Politics CV for leading the charge. They are doing what so many of us who are working full time wish we could do more of.
City officials are there to serve their constituents, not their pockets. And right now, our community needs to make noise.
Watch the full episode on YouTube and share your thoughts in the comments. We want to hear from you!
