The Kraft Group has proposed a $16 billion-plus Sutton data center campus that goes before town officials today. A copy of the plan will be presented to Select Board members on Tuesday, Nov. 10, per a memo from Town Manager Austin Cyganiewicz. Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s company and its Unified Global Packaging subsidiary stand behind the scheme. The campus is designed to be a total of 10 hyperscale buildings, with a total capacity of 2.5 million square feet, and a peak demand of approximately 900 megawatts at full load.
Other Projects
Semiconductor projects are fundamental in complimenting data centers with one of the most anticipated projects, Intel Ohio One, making a major leap. In October 25, 2026, Intel’s Ohio One chip plant made a major advancement as the construction team completed the installation of the first of the very large number of structural trusses in the New Albany campus. The two massive wall-like structures represent the next vertical construction stage, which is now connected by this complicated structure of huge steel beams.
Scope of Implementation on the Proposed Kraft data center campus
The site is located at 67 Unified Parkway off of Boston Road and Providence Road in Worcester County, Central Massachusetts. The land had plans for a packaging distribution centre and the campus would utilise part of that industrial land.
The delivery is phased. The first two buildings, which will be 500,000 square feet combined, will open in 2029. Two more are added annually until the project is finished in 2033. The memo states that the campus would consume approximately 900 megawatts of electricity at full build-out and cost the developer an estimated $16 billion in assessed value of all property on the campus today, several times the value of all property in Sutton today. That private capital is more than six times the town’s total existing tax base.
The fiscal case is the basis for the town’s interest. The first phase is expected to generate $10.4 million in tax revenue annually, according to conservative estimates, which will be collected in fiscal 2031. Once the 10 centers are completed and in the rolls in fiscal 2035, revenue will be approximately $27.8 million per year. The proposal says the income would cut individual property bills over time. Furthermore, the Select Board’s tax classification may place a greater burden on commercial property.
A Nov. 6 letter from more than a dozen department heads backs formal review. The police and fire chiefs, building commissioner, town clerk, library director and school superintendent signed it. “Our purpose in writing is not to endorse a specific development or predetermined outcome,” the letter reads.
Challenges facing the Kraft Group data center plan
Resistance is already organised. Energy, environmental and quality-of-life costs have been a source of opposition to data centers throughout Massachusetts. Some communities, such as Leominster, have placed moratoriums in place while regulators work on new regulations. Gov. Maura Healey signed a September executive order requiring community and local approval before officials can issue building permits.
Any zoning change requires the approval of Town Meeting members. The manager sets expectations in his own memo. The proposal is “tentative,” Cyganiewicz wrote. No application has been submitted and key information regarding power, water, equipment and site impacts is yet to be received. The town did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Today’s review is the first step in that process, with the first buildings expected in 2029 and the entire 900 MW campus in 2033.
Project Overview
- Project Value: $16 billion-plus, developer’s estimate
- Location: 67 Unified Parkway, Sutton, Massachusetts
- Developer: The Kraft Group, Unified Global Packaging
- Status: Select Board review today, no application
Scope
- Up to 10 hyperscale buildings
- 250,000 square feet each, 2.5 million total
- 900 megawatts at full build-out
- Also first 500,000 square feet open 2029
Project Highlights
- Six times Sutton’s $2.8 billion tax base
- $10.4 million annual taxes by 2031
- $27.8 million by fiscal 2035
- Also repurposes packaging distribution site
Key Developments
- Memo submitted for Nov. 10 review
- Department heads letter dated Nov. 6
- Healey executive order signed September
- Town Meeting holds zoning vote
Key Challenges
- Moratoriums spreading across Massachusetts
- Community approval also precedes permits
- Power and water details pending
- Zoning amendments also face Town Meeting
Outlook
- Select Board reviews plan today
- Application and studies still to come
- Buildings also arrive in pairs from 2029
- Campus completes in 2033
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