Data center pitched for golf course at 1509 Workman Mill Rd. in City of Industry

Struggling golf courses in the Los Angeles area have often given way to housing. Ramus Development, Inc. has different plans for the California Country Club property in the City of Industry. 

This week, Ramus announced plans for the LA Recreation and Technology Park ("LARTP"), which calls for reconfiguring 18 acres of the property at 1509 Workman Mill Road to incorporate a nine-hole golf course and a data center. The project will be subject to a full environmental impact report, per a statement from Ramus president Stephen Cho.

Birtcher Development, LLC is leading the entitlement process for the project, which abuts the 605 Freeway corridor, and sits near the confluence of San Jose Creek and the San Gabriel River.

The project's backers argue that the proposed data center will utilize air-cooled chiller technology to minimize water consumption - something they say that could reduce water consumption at the golf course by 13 percent relative to current conditions. Likewise, they contend that the project will not require power subsidies, or impact the rates for surrounding communities.

“The state-of-the-art data center proposed within LARTP is designed to use energy-efficient building systems, incorporate resilient power infrastructure, and reduce both water and energy usage to avoid impacting residents,” said Brooke Birtcher Gustafson of Birtcher in a news release. “We intend to establish a process, through a community benefits board, where resident’s voices will be heard. The LARTP project will deliver local jobs, open space and support the region’s technology future.”

The project has also already lined up a key partnership - the support of the California Building Trades through the signing of a project labor agreement.

Data centers have been the subject of intense pushback across Southern California, and the country as a whole, as artificial intelligence companies look to build capacity for their offerings. El Segundo residents successfully forced the cancellation of one such project earlier this year, and the City of Monterey Park has adopted a prohibition on new data centers.

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