July 30, 2026 | Mark Luis Foster
We’ve been keeping an eye on data centers and their expansions of late — given that many of the proposed sites tend to get placed in expansive areas where developers have already started digging for new HOA properties. Many cities are putting holds on them, including Eagan, Apple Valley, Lakeville and a climbing list of others.
Rosemount just approved Northwind Test’s bid for an “aerospace facility” on the city’s east side, which sounds like it needs some cleanup first. (Plus read on; it’s not a data center, but it’s next to one.) From South Metro Scoop:
The site is about 60 acres, sitting a half mile south of County Road 42 and just west of Blaine Avenue. It’s right next to the Meta data center and east of Dakota County Technical College. The land was cleaned up first, mostly asbestos removal, before any of this could move forward.
And what exactly is Northwind Test?
[They are] a St. Paul company that’s been around about 70 years. They build wind tunnels. At this site, they’ll do scale-model testing, not full-size, for both commercial and government customers.
Wind tunnels in Rosemount. Sounds loud.
The testing does make sound, mostly from air rushing through the tunnels. But the study shows it drops off fast. At the nearest home, about 3,250 feet away, the noise stays around the level of a quiet office or a refrigerator. That’s well under the state’s limits set by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Loud testing bursts only last up to about four minutes at a time.
Oh. Those loud testing bursts of four minutes could be a real wakeup call for near by HOAs.
And water?
Peak use for this first phase is about 35,000 gallons a day, and under 70,000 gallons a day overall. Pearson compared that to a small microbrewery. The water is used for cooling and processing during testing.
Ok then.
A data center, then, it is not. You can read more HERE.
