Emporia’s city and volunteer planning officials are set to consider major rezoning steps for a proposed data center after sworn testimony surfaced in a federal bankruptcy proceeding involving the businessman publicly promoted as the project’s developer. In testimony shared in the bankruptcy process, Gary Pinkston said he had no interest in the “Flint Hills Digital Campus” project in Emporia, contradicting the role he has been described as holding in the public-facing campaign for the site.
The proposal would convert about 1,000 mostly rural acres on Emporia’s west edge into a data center complex, and local debate has been intense. The Emporia City Commission unanimously annexed the designated acreage shortly after the project was announced, and a planning commission recommendation to include the rezoned land in a new “digital infrastructure overlay” zone moved forward on a 6-1 vote following multiple public hearings with strong opposition.
Next, a city commission meeting on July 22 is scheduled to consider the planning commission recommendations for rezoning and creating the digital infrastructure zone. The city’s July 15 vote was delayed so staff and commissioners could attend a two-day educational summit in Topeka hosted by Kansas Municipal Utilities, where the event was limited to paid attendees.
In a commentary published by the Kansas Press Association, Emporia-area organizers and residents call for greater transparency about ownership and decision-making before the project advances, pointing to the bankruptcy testimony as a key reason public questions should be addressed directly by project representatives.