First building completed at Meta’s Northland data center
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Crews are making progress at Meta’s data center in Kansas City’s Northland as they complete the first building in the project.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is building an $800 million data center in the Golden Plains Technology Park near Interstate 435 and U.S. Highway 169.
New hotel, business development breaks ground near KCI Airport
Turner Construction Company announced Tuesday LM2 Construction & Consulting has completed the first building for the data center.
LM2, a Black woman-owned general contractor, partnered with Turner for the project.
The building will house construction operations for Meta employees, general contractors and trade partners as the rest of the data center is built out over the next several years.
This will be Meta’s 16th data center in the U.S. and 21st data center across the world.
Meta expects the center will bring 100 jobs to the Golden Plains Technology Park when it becomes operational in 2024.
Turner and LM2 also noted this first building is a success for diversity, equity and inclusion. Earlier this year, the Kansas City Council amended the city’s contract with Meta, requiring its developer to follow city rules on hiring minority- and woman-owned contractors.
Kansas City leaders continue planning for largest US solar array
Meta’s contractors will be required to meet the city’s annual 14.7% minority-owned and 14.4% women-owned business participation goals for most but not all of its data center, the Kansas City Business Journal reports.
Turner said the trade partners on this first building included 39% minority-owned businesses and 24% women-owned businesses.
“Just as Turner gave me an opportunity, I’m all about giving opportunities to others so that they also can increase their capacity, skills and develop their own leadership in the industry,” said LaTasha McCall, president and founder of LM2.
