Google data center to replace Hemlock in Clarksville – The Leaf-Chronicle
The former Hemlock Semiconductor site in Clarksville will soon have a new tenant: a Google data center, The Tennessean reported Monday, citing people familiar with the development deal.
Google, which is in the final stages of negotiation, plans to invest more than $500 million in the data center and create an estimated initial 70 full-time jobs, the sources said.
The report comes after months of rising speculation about who might be stepping in to replace Hemlock on a sprawling former TVA megasite in northeast Montgomery County. In 2014, Hemlock scrapped its ambitious plan for a $1.2 billion plant after global market conditions spelled its end before production began.
Google to invest in new Clarksville data center
The Leaf-Chronicle has been reporting for several weeks that talks regarding a possible new industry for the site are ongoing, but officials at the Montgomery County Courthouse and in economic development circles in the Clarksville area remained tight-lipped when it came to naming the prospect or saying anything about the nature or scope of its operations.
Industrial Development Board Executive Director Mike Evans would only say that he and other local officials, and the undisclosed prospect, were operating under the “tightest non-disclosure agreement that I can remember in my 18 years in this position.”
Google growing across Southeast
Evans has been involved in attracting numerous industries to the community, including the most recent $800 million prize — Hankook Tire.
The property once known as Commerce Park has shifted its boundaries over time. At one point, the Hemlock property was a 1,300-acre site. With recent additional land acquisitions and with Hemlock leaving, the available land is now close to 1,900 acres.
If the deal comes together, Google would occupy at least the Hemlock-developed portion, which consists of about 830 acres. The total amount of land Google will occupy has not yet been announced.
Google growing across Southeast
Vote coming Monday
The Leaf-Chronicle reported Tuesday, Dec. 15, that a deal has been coming together.
A public notice in that day’s Leaf-Chronicle confirmed that Montgomery County commissioners will hold a special meeting Monday at 6 p.m. The Industrial Development Board will also meet Monday at 3 p.m.
Deal in works on former Hemlock site in Clarksville
The paid legal notice reads, “The purpose of this meeting will be to vote on Resolution 15-12-6, resolution approving a development agreement between the Industrial Development Board of Montgomery County, Tennessee; Montgomery County, Tennessee; the city of Clarksville, Tennessee; and an Industrial Project Company, to establish a facility in the Commerce Park (1000 Solar Way).”
Later that morning, city of Clarksville spokeswoman Jennifer Rawls confirmed that the City Council will have a special meeting in City Council Chambers, 106 Public Square, on the same date and time as the County Commission’s special courthouse meeting, for the identical purpose of taking up the development agreement.
Leaf-Chronicle Interim News Director Chris Smith contributed to this report. Reach Business Editor Jimmy Settle at 245-0247 or [email protected], or on Twitter at @settle_leaf
