Independence City Council Approves Tax Breaks for $150 Data Center Campus

Posted March 3, 2026

The Independence City Council voted to approve a tax incentive plan for a proposed $150 billion data center.

On Monday, the City Council voted 5-2 to approve two series of taxable industrial development revenue bonds for the proposed development of the Nebius data center. The total cost of the Project is estimated to exceed $150 billion, including real and personal property investments and issuance costs.

Independence Mayor Rory Rowland and Councilmember Brice Stewart voted against the ordinance.

The data center campus would be located at 501 North Bly Road, on 398 acres of land. The campus would encompass approximately 2.1 million square feet and feature multiple buildings. The development would be completed in stages and is estimated to have a construction timeline of five years.

The campus will receive $6.6 billion in tax breaks for the acquisition of the project’s site. Nebius will pay fees in the form of Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for the first 20 years of the campus operation. Nebius would pay around $651 million in PILOT fees.

During the City Council’s public hearing, over 60 Independence residents attended the meeting to voice their support or opposition toward the project. The meeting lasted for around 5.5 hours. Residents argued the data center is not a fair deal for the City and puts working-class families at risk. 

Nebius statement following the Independence City Council vote:

“We appreciate the City Council’s vote tonight and are grateful for the backing from education, labor, and business leaders, as well as the broader Independence community,” said John Sutter, Nebius spokesperson. “Our AI factory is purpose built to fit in — from design to construction to operation, we’re focused on being a good community partner and are excited to move forward with our project that will deliver broad economic, education, and community benefits.”

This will not be Amsterdam-based Nebius’ first footprint into data center development in the greater Kansas City area. Kansas City-based Patmos announced the repurpose plan for the Kansas City Star’s former printing press building into a new data center; days later, Patmos announced Nebius would be the building’s new tenant.