A data center project spanning nearly 2,000 acres is moving forward in Mason County after the local government reached an agreement with Meta.
The Mason County Fiscal Court unanimously approved the agreement on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Mason County Judge/Executive Owen McNeill touted the project as a major investment in the community and surrounding region.
“It mints an incredible investment into our community that not only will affect Maysville and Mason County, but certainly our region and state as a whole,” he said.
According to Mason County land records, Chrisham LLC, a holding company associated with Silicon Valley tech giant Meta, owns the property. The data center will be built on land currently used for agriculture in unincorporated Mason County. In May, the fiscal court approved a zoning change recommended by the Maysville-Mason County Joint Planning Commission, rezoning the land from agricultural to I-3 Rural Industrial.
McNeill said Meta will invest approximately $15 billion in what is expected to be Kentucky's largest hyperscale data center project. The development is expected to create 2,000 construction and skilled-trade jobs, followed by 400 full-time positions upon completion.
The Mason County Fiscal Court approved a 40-year property tax exemption for Meta through an industrial revenue bond arrangement. As part of the agreement, Meta will make annual payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOTs, to Mason County and the Mason County School District.
Meta is slated to pay Mason County $5 million and the school district $2 million annually per project phase. Planning documents show the development has five phases and could include up to six buildings.
The agreement also outlines $115 million in local infrastructure improvements, including upgrades to roads and water and wastewater systems, along with a $15 million public safety impact fee to support emergency services.
While the fiscal court unanimously backed the agreement, the project remains controversial among some county residents. We Are Mason County, KY, a community group organizing against the data center, is hosting a meeting at Lewis Craig Baptist Church to air out concerns about the fiscal court's decision.
