PORTLAND, NY — After continued concerns from Portland/Brocton residents, the Portland Town Board hoped to clear up "confusion" and "miscommunication" about a possible data center project.
In March, the board gave its "general approval" to a hyperscale data center project at the former Sugar Hill Golf Course along Route 5.
According to the March 11 meeting minutes, Town Supervisor Richard Lewis spoke to the property owner about the conversion.
WATCH: Portland Town Board addresses confusion and concern over proposed data center
"A physical facility that houses IT infrastructure, serves and stores network equipment," the minutes read.
From the minutes, Supervisor Lewis "feels this would benefit the town as far as paying taxes." However, the minutes also note that the board supports "the idea of it," not the project itself.
"The resolution was in general support, upon the completion of all the steps that need to be done," Lewis told residents in attendance on Wednesday. "And we're on step negative one. We're not even to one yet. Nobody's proposed an application."
Board Member Tammy Thompson also spoke on the council's initial support.
"I'm speaking, for me," Thompson told residents. "Not knowing much about what the data center does? Would there be an impact? Would it be helpful? Does it do a benefit? But the thing is, all companies have to go through the process if they're bringing a project."
"If you have an $11 billion project that's going to hit the town of Portland, that could be a benefit to our community. I want to know about it, but if it doesn't work, then that's what this process is about."
However, residents still voiced their concerns and urged the board not to move forward with any proposed data center.
"I think that everybody here is very afraid of this happening," Catherine Southwick told board members during public comment.
"The data center will not pay to have the roads widened, the electric grid needed, or the sewer and water grid needed, as this would all fall upon us at some point," Eunice Schwartz said. "Everything will leave. Bees will leave. How do we grow the grapes without the pollination of the bees? There's absolutely no benefit to us. Perhaps we could get a developer, break up the parcel into 20 parcels, and put $1 million homes on there. Let's try to get somebody in there that we all use."
"It's not something we want in our town for many, many reasons," Michelle Patterson, a member of the group, told WKBW at the time. "If economic development and increasing the tax base is what is needed, and they're (Portland Town Board) looking at this potential data center project, how can we as a community work with them to find alternative projects? Alternative options that are more sustainable and are more with the values of the town of Portland, and its residents."
Another member of the group read a prepared speech during Wednesday's public comments as well.
"The community is overwhelmingly concerned about the scale, location, and potential impacts of this type of project," Matthew Sustra told board members. "The people are specifically worried about the persistent noise of 24-hour operations of backup generators, sustained strain on local water supplies, and massive electrical uses. We want to be clear. Our purpose is not to oppose economic development within our community. Our purpose is to ensure that large-scale industrial infrastructure proposed on the Lake Erie shoreline receives the highest level of environmental and procedural scrutiny required by law."
When asked to speak with WKBW, Supervisor Lewis directed us to the board's previous statement on the matter. READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
The Town of Portland recently received a phone call from a representative of Four Winds of Lake Erie LLC, the owner of 7060 Route 5 in Portland, New York (formerly the Sugar Hill Golf Course), regarding the possibility of developing a data center facility at that location.
At its March 11, 2026 meeting, the Town of Portland Board passed a resolution expressing general approval of a proposed data center project, subject to further review and additional details. The resolution specifies that any such approval is contingent upon the submission and satisfactory r review of comprehensive project information, including but not limited to site plans, environmental assessments, infrastructure impacts, and compliance with all applicable
laws and regulations.
At this time, the Town of Portland has not received any formal application, notice, or detailed plans for project at 7060 Route 5.
The Town Board encourages responsible development that strengthens the local tax base. A stronger tax base benefits all taxpayers in the community.
