Data Center Registry
Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park)
Van Meter, Dallas County, Iowa · All 45 Microsoft sites · Every Microsoft case on our tracker
Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park) is a proposed data center in Van Meter, Iowa (Dallas County), operated by Microsoft. The public record puts it at 414 acres, a reported $40 million investment. It has documented support and documented opposition on record.
Every line on this page traces to a public source listed at the bottom. Where a figure was looked for and not found, the row says so. A blank is never a zero.
Facility record
Proposed
- Operator
- Microsoft
- Facility type
- Data center
- Location
- Van Meter, Dallas County, IA
- Coordinates
- 41.5332, -93.9548 (approximate)
- Power capacity
- Not established from a public source
- Land
- 414 acres
- Investment
- $40 million
- Announced
- Not established from a public source
- Utility
- Not established from a public source
- Cooling
- Not established from a public source
- Water use
- Not established from a public source
- Jobs
- Not established from a public source
- Public subsidy
- Not established from a public source
- Community reception
- Mixed reception
- Source confidence
- Reported by at least one credible outlet or filing
Opposition and litigation at this site
Partly. Both documented support and documented opposition to Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park) in Van Meter, Dallas County, Iowa appear in the record, with no clear majority position. Van Meter City Administrator Liz Faust acknowledged (2024-02-02) that this project is distinguished from Microsoft's other Dallas County-area sites by having 'a residential neighborhood already next to it,' and committed only to keeping residents' interests in mind 'when we reach that phase of planning.' No formal hearing had occurred yet as of the article date; Microsoft's community-engagement process and formal city review were both still pending.
How the community has taken it
Reception is a sourced signal, not an editorial judgment: mixed reception means documented support and documented opposition both exist with no clear majority position on record.
Van Meter City Administrator Liz Faust acknowledged (2024-02-02) that this project is distinguished from Microsoft's other Dallas County-area sites by having 'a residential neighborhood already next to it,' and committed only to keeping residents' interests in mind 'when we reach that phase of planning.' No formal hearing had occurred yet as of the article date; Microsoft's community-engagement process and formal city review were both still pending. Using 'mixed' because a real, named proximity concern is on record even though no organized opposition or support campaign has been documented yet.
Notes on the record
Microsoft's FIRST data center site outside the West Des Moines cluster - farmland acquired in Van Meter's Vision Park (a state-certified shovel-ready site since 2014). investmentUsd of $40M is the LAND purchase only, not construction capex. Status is early planning per the only source independently fetched this session (no confirmed site plan / construction start as of that article). Other reporting suggests up to 10 buildings and a much larger eventual campus, and a March 2026 Van Meter city council packet referenced an active 'Project Approvals' process, but neither was independently fetched/verified this session - flagging for a future pass to check current status.
What the record does not establish, and the document that would
In every fight on our tracker the decisive fact came out of a public records request. These are the requests for this site.
- Power capacity in megawatts
- Cooling method and water use
- Tax abatements or other public subsidy
- Permanent jobs promised
- Which utility serves it
Which document closes each gap
- Power capacity in megawatts
- The utility's large load service agreement, the interconnection request in the grid operator's queue, or the electrical site plan in the permit file.
- Cooling method and water use
- The water service agreement, any groundwater appropriation permit, and the mechanical narrative in the site plan.
- Tax abatements or other public subsidy
- The abatement, PILOT, or development agreement approved by the county, city, or development authority, and the state's data center sales tax exemption certificate if one was issued.
- Permanent jobs promised
- The economic development application or incentive agreement, which usually states a job commitment and a clawback.
- Which utility serves it
- The electric service agreement or the utility's filing with the state public utility commission.
Have one of these documents? Send it to us and we will add it to the record with attribution.
Other sites within 30 miles
Distances are between recorded coordinates, many of which are a city or county centroid, so treat them as approximate. Cumulative load on one utility and one aquifer is the question a planning commission rarely asks.
- COPT Defense Van Meter Data Center Shell Site · Van Meter · COPT Defense Properties2 mi · Proposed · 1 GW
- Apple Waukee Data Center · Waukee · Apple6 mi · Operating
- US Signal IA01 Des Moines Data Center (Waukee) · Waukee · US Signal7 mi · Operating
- Microsoft Project Mountain Data Center · West Des Moines · Microsoft7 mi · Operating
- Microsoft Project Ruthenium Data Center · West Des Moines · Microsoft8 mi · Proposed
- Microsoft Project Ginger West Data Center · West Des Moines · Microsoft9 mi · Under construction · Mixed reception
- Microsoft Project Osmium Data Center · West Des Moines · Microsoft10 mi · Under construction
- Microsoft Project Ginger East Data Center · West Des Moines · Microsoft11 mi · Under construction
Questions people ask about this site
Is there opposition to the Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park) in Van Meter?
Partly. Both documented support and documented opposition to Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park) in Van Meter, Dallas County, Iowa appear in the record, with no clear majority position. Van Meter City Administrator Liz Faust acknowledged (2024-02-02) that this project is distinguished from Microsoft's other Dallas County-area sites by having 'a residential neighborhood already next to it,' and committed only to keeping residents' interests in mind 'when we reach that phase of planning.' No formal hearing had occurred yet as of the article date; Microsoft's community-engagement process and formal city review were both still pending.
Has anyone filed a lawsuit over the Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park)?
No lawsuit over Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park) appears in the record we track as of September 10, 2026. Residents most often reach a lawyer over water supply, well drawdown, noise from cooling plant, property value, or a rezoning approved without the notice the ordinance required. If any of that is happening near this site, it is worth a review whether or not a case has been filed yet.
How much water does Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park) use?
No water withdrawal figure for Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park) is on record here. Water use is rarely published voluntarily; it usually surfaces through a utility service agreement or a state withdrawal permit, both of which are public records. We leave the number blank rather than estimate one.
Who operates Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park), and how big is it?
Microsoft is the operator on record. We hold 45 sites for that company across the registry. No capacity figure is on record for this site. The site is recorded at 414 acres.
How to cite this page
SueDataCenters.org Data Center Registry, "Microsoft Van Meter Data Center (Vision Park)," updated September 10, 2026, https://suedatacenters.org/data-centers/microsoft-van-meter-ia.
Facility data from Compute Atlas (E. Kubiak), version 1.32.0 (September 7, 2026), licensed CC BY 4.0, record https://www.compute-atlas.com/facilities/microsoft-van-meter-ia, retrieved September 14, 2026.
Corrections with a public source are welcome at the Compute Atlas record or through our contact page. The whole registry is available as CSV and JSON under CC BY 4.0.
Sources for this record
As compiled and cited by Compute Atlas, with our own reporting appended. Archived links are used where the original has moved.
- 1.Microsoft's Van Meter data center signals expansion beyond West Des Moines · AOL (via Des Moines Register) · retrieved August 8, 2026
- 2.OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocode: Van Meter, IA · OpenStreetMap contributors · retrieved August 8, 2026
- 3.Microsoft's Van Meter data center · retrieved September 10, 2026
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