When Tirusha Dave and Prashanth Gorantala, a married couple from New Jersey, submitted a zoning proposal to the Town of Oneonta for their company Eco-Yotta Inc.'s hillside property, they weren't expecting such a backlash. Things haven't devolved into "Eddington," a recent film about a rural community torn asunder by a mayoral election in the whirlwind year of 2020 while a data center grows in the background, but the tension is rising in meetings, online and on the campaign trail.
Utilizing its existing ~1,300-square-foot garage and ~10,000-square-foot barn at their property at 357 County Highway 9, Eco-Yotta plans to build a hydroponic farm managed by artificial intelligence research computers whose heat will extend the growing season to be year-round. The computers would also be used for projects by startup businesses and local students. The developers call their project an "agri-business" and have submitted a Planned Development District zoning proposal, which would allow a greater number of employees and business uses.
Dave, the chief executive officer, and Gorantala, the chief technology officer, say their original "data center" proposal was filed as an industrial rezone upon the recommendation of the town. Those application documents, obtained by AllOtsego, did not mention agriculture or hydroponics. Gorantala says "the narration went off the rails" because that original proposal–for a proof of concept for the heating without the crops and contained entirely within the garage–was interpreted by many as entailing new construction.
Read more at All Otsego
