To date, we have not submitted a project development plan with the City of Peculiar. This is intentional to ensure the Harper Road Technology Park project best serves the needs of the Peculiar community. Once we evaluate the information received through community input, we will resubmit our zoning application along with a development plan to further detail our plans for the project, with the ultimate goal of being a good community neighbor and positive addition to the City of Peculiar.

This project will help generate much-needed tax revenue over the next several decades to aid in better schools, improved roads, and public safety.  Through a conceptual analysis based on information received to date, the project is expected to generate around $188 million for the city, and $1.1 billion for the school district, in revenue over the next 37 years.  

It’s important to remember Diode will not receive any funds from the city or county for this project. Instead, Diode is requesting PILOT payments (payment in lieu of taxes) to the appropriate taxing jurisdictions. PILOT payments are often used in community development projects to promote economic growth.   

We expect the project to generate at least 100 jobs once fully operational; during construction, the project may offer as many as 1,000 skilled tradespeople jobs. 

Construction of the Harper Road Technology Park will aid in Peculiar’s infrastructure development. Our construction plan will include street sweeping, road repairs, and road improvements along 203^rd Street. Roughly 70% of the project’s construction will occur inside the building once the core and shell are completed within mere months, minimizing neighborhood disruption. 

We do not anticipate using 203rd Street for anything more than an emergency access road protected by a secure gate, should that road remain a part of the design. Once the data centers are built, they would not typically have a heavy amount of traffic—mainly the employees, most of whom are on a shift schedule, and any equipment replacement shipments. Additionally, we completed a traffic study in March 2024 that demonstrated any planned road improvements that would benefit the neighboring communities and accommodate any increased traffic from the development. Further, Diode’s Traffic Impact Study and subsequent conversations with MoDOT revealed MoDOT will need to make improvements at the 211^th and Peculiar Drive intersection whether development happens or not. The project can contribute to the solution with MoDOT, potentially helping to achieve the improvement faster or cheaper or both in comparison to MoDOT acting alone.

Power: Evergy is announcing new rules regarding large load interconnection requests, especially data centers, early fall 2024. In the meantime, Diode and Evergy are in the early stages of studying transmission and generation availability. At the moment, the project is basing its construction timeline on high-level generation availability information Diode has on the area.Any electrical infrastructure improvements needed specifically for the campus are the campus’ financial responsibility to design, procure, and construct, and will not affect residential power bills. Further, both Diode and any end users who take space in our development will work with Evergy to support and bolster the power infrastructure for the surrounding area. Data centers benefit immensely from stable power, both available generation and transmission capacity. While they can use considerable amounts of electricity, their development and operation tends to lead to bolstering local grid resiliency and generation. Additionally, many large technology companies have sustainability goals that drive utilities to seek out more renewable sources of energy.

“We have been working with Diode Ventures, LLC to develop an infrastructure analysis which shows how we will provide power to the potential project. This is a process that we go through with large power loads to ensure reliable power service to our new customers while ensuring quality power service for our existing customers. This holistic approach utilizes several considerations and the impacts of the new load throughout our Distribution, Transmission, and Generations systems. We are committed to continuing to provide affordable, reliable service to all customers throughout our system.” – Daniel J. Hegeman, Evergy Senior Community Business Manager  
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‍Water: The project is sited within Cass Public Water and Sewer District 2 (PWSD 2) boundaries. We are working with PWSD 2, the City of Peculiar, and Kansas City Water to source the water needed for this size of a project. Past comparable projects have not seen an increase in water rates nor a water shortage as a result of their development.

"Cass County PWSD No. 2 looks forward to being able to provide all of the water needs at the proposed site. We would like to continue to work with Diode Ventures and their partners moving forward to determine what improvements would be required to meet the needs presented to us at the July 9th, 2024 Board meeting.” - Jesus Jimenez, General Manager, PWSD No. 2 Cass County Water  


‍Wastewater: Diode & its consultants are working toward a long-term solution for the subbasin, which could include working with the Cities of Belton or Peculiar for ownership and operation of infrastructure the project would contribute heavily toward. Necessary capital improvements impacting the wastewater system as a result of this project will primarily be the financial responsibility of the developer.

While security will be present 24/7 on the property, they are only concerned with the safety of their campus and the data they host. The cameras will be focused on the project buildings and the parking lots and not on areas outside the project site.

Data center design and development has evolved greatly in the past several years, highlighted by advances in the minimization of noise and light pollution. LED lighting, which can be adjusted for color and light level, is used to focus lighting specifically where it is needed to minimize spillover. Fixtures can be limited to 30’ in height and focused internal to the site and its roads. Lastly, a photometric study can be performed ahead of construction permitting design to ensure light spillage off property is acceptable.

Custom enclosures significantly reduce the noise created by generators on site to well within the industry standard of 75 dB at 23 feet. Additionally, the construction of sound barrier walls can reduce and deflect noise away from neighboring homes and businesses. Our team plans to bring the lessons learned in previous developments to the Peculiar project. Technological advances in data center design will be incorporated in the design and construction of the Peculiar data centers.

City of Peculiar code requires a 15-foot front yard setback, 10-foot side yard setbacks, and 20-foot rear yard setbacks per I-1 and I-2 zoning designations. The draft design initially proposed to the City of Peculiar had an almost 150-foot setback from the residential property, and we will continue to evaluate building configurations based on the community input received. Additionally, a healthy amount of green space will be preserved surrounding the perimeter of the site including natural landscape barriers to help the development blend more seamlessly into its environment.  

Belton, Raymore, and Harrisonville have benefited financially from industrial development along the I-49 corridor. While working with regional and local economic development agencies, our team identified the 500+ acre parcel available along the corridor that the City had previously designated with an Industrial Overlay in approximately 2015-2016. The parcel located in Peculiar provides the city an opportunity for prosperity along the corridor with an industrial development that will drive employment opportunities, improve local infrastructure, and diversify tax revenues. Further, Kansas City is becoming known as a tech hub, and with the site's proximal access to good transportation networks, power generation and transmission, fiber connectivity, and water and wastewater services, now is the time to take advantage of a development that will drive community growth. 

Plenty of municipalities across the country have added data centers to their allowed uses under a number of zoning designations, including light industrial, light commercial, and upward--often doubling up and allowing their development in areas intended for "light" and "heavy" commercial, industrial, or manufacturing/warehousing. Several of these municipalities include Kansas City, MO; Red Oak, TX; Becker, MN; Charles City County, VA; and more.

Diode Ventures is the developer of the Harper Road Technology Park. As the developer, they assist in purchasing the property to build data centers on the site. Their role is undertaking the necessary permissions for planning, zoning, and permitting tasks and to prepare the site for development. This may include land clearing, grading, and infrastructure development (such as roads, utilities, and power) to support the future building of a data center.

Diode Ventures may assist the end user of the data center with selecting an architect, engineer, and contractor to build the data center. Or the end user may choose their own design team without the assistance of Diode. However, Diode will remain involved in the project with either scenario. As the developer, their role is supervising the project with relationship to the city’s codes, permitting, and zoning regulations as the end user designs and constructs their specific data center.