Pros & Cons

The Honest Case, and Where It Breaks

There are a couple of real arguments for this project, and they deserve a straight answer. Here they are — followed by the claims the city used to sell it, set against what the public record actually shows.

The Honest Pros

The city really is short on money — and that's a real problem.

Pittsburg has a real, ongoing budget problem. Finding new revenue is not a fake concern, and anyone who cares about this town should take it seriously. That part of the pitch is true.

But here's the catch

A real money problem can be solved more than one way — but the city reached for the first option in front of it. It signed an exclusive deal with a single data-center developer in August 2017, seven months before it ever asked the public how the land should be reused, and it never opened the site to a competitive bid or a competing offer. Given nearly a decade to find revenue that didn't come at residents' expense, it settled for the one option that parks diesel generators next to homes and five schools.

The fiber infrastructure being built for this project could extend broadband access to local businesses and homes.

Laying fiber is genuinely expensive, and Pittsburg getting it paid for by a developer instead of taxpayers is a real, if incidental, upside. That part of the pitch holds up.

But here's the catch

"Can be extended" is not the same as "will be extended." The city's own FAQ only describes a possibility — there's no funding agreement, no build-out map, and no timeline committing the developer, the city, or an ISP to actually connect a single home or business.

Pitch vs. Reality

Every claim below is quoted from the officials and the developer who made it. Every counter is drawn from the public record.

The pitch

“Good jobs, good paying jobs, green jobs — right here in our community.”

— Councilmember Shanelle Scales-Preston (now County Supervisor), 4 Nov 2024

The reality

Most are temporary construction jobs. The developer's own filings list 20–30 permanent hires — analysts say as few as 10 with automation — and there is no guarantee any go to Pittsburg residents.

The pitch

“Sustainable, scalable, and powered by 90%+ zero-carbon energy.”

— AVAIO Digital

The reality

Renewable or not, it still burns as diesel exhaust — a known carcinogen with no safe exposure level — from 37 backup generators today, and easily 150 at full build-out. Safer backup technologies exist; the project didn't choose them.

The pitch

“A major investment in our local economy — new infrastructure and long-term revenue.”

— Jordan Davis, Community & Economic Development Director

The reality

By the city's own estimate, about $2–2.4 million a year — roughly $1–1.4M in property tax plus ~$1M in sales tax — with more for schools, public safety, and landscaping. It's real money. But the city's own budget shows a structural General Fund deficit of about $2.5–3.3 million a year, with the fund balance projected to go negative in FY 2026–27. This barely covers a single year of that gap — a bandaid, not a fix — and residents were never asked whether it's worth permanent diesel and noise next to their homes and five schools.

The pitch

“A transparent public process — we told the residents.”

— Councilmember Shanelle Scales-Preston (now County Supervisor), 4 Nov 2024

The reality

Notice met only the legal minimum — in English, for a project branded a "Technology Park." Most residents found out it was a data center in 2026. "The notice is not enough."

— City Treasurer Nancy Parent, 10 Sept 2024

The pitch

“When we decided to close the golf course, the vision was economic development, job creators.”

— Mayor Juan Antonio Banales, 4 Nov 2024

The reality

The city's own survey favored keeping the golf course — and the exclusive deal with a single data-center developer was already signed in August 2017, before any public reuse process began.

Did You Know?

The same City Council that approved this deal is the land seller, the land-use regulator, and — through its seat on the Pittsburg Power Company board — the power vendor to the project. The land itself sold for $10.55 million, with no competitive bid.

Seen enough?

You don't need every citation to know this deserves a real public process. Add your name and show up.

Take action

Sources

Every citation on this page, in one place.

Official Minutes & Resolutions

R1Resolution 22-14126 (adopted, certified, with recitals & vote), 18 Jul 2022 — OnBase legislative portal.

City of Pittsburg (Primary)

S1Tech Park project page + FAQ (Reso 24-14560, Ord 24-1527, ZA Resos 445/466, Final PEIR, Specific Plan).
S23Email, Jordan Davis, 29 Jun 2026 — “Fw: Request for Clarification …”
S25Exhibit A — Citywide Budget All Funds Summary, 15 Jun 2026 City Council meeting.

CEC / Technical Filings

T4Executive Director's Recommendation on the SPPE application — CEC TN 267720, docket 24-SPPE-01. ↗

Contemporaneous Press

S14East County Today, 7 Jun 2018 - EDS option; Wood / Evola / Craft / Croskey / Foster quotes; ”since 2016.”
S2AVAIO milestone release, 3 Dec 2024 — Banales / McComiskey quotes.
S4AVAIO project page — Davis quote.

Meeting Video

V14 Nov 2024 City Council — CivicClerk event 1385.
V210 Sept 2024 Planning Commission — event 1416.

Compiled June 2026 · Grounded in official minutes, adopted resolutions, and meeting video from the City's CivicClerk archive and OnBase legislative-records portal. See the full public record for the complete source list.