Petition richtet sich an: Bürgermeister Sebastian Wysocki

Our Demands

We call for a revision of the data center project and the development plan to ensure it integrates well with the residential area in a socially responsible, ecologically sustainable, and low-emission manner.

Specifically, we demand:

1. Limit building height to a maximum of 20 meters (plus chimneys), including technical structures. Construction should start at 121 meters above sea level (not 125), to better align visually with the surrounding 15-meter-high residential buildings. Even then, the server halls would still be about 30% taller than the tallest homes.

2. Installation of green (plant covered) facades to improve the microclimate and partially offset the sealed surfaces.

3. A compensation fund for directly impacted homeowners, financed through a portion of the business tax revenues – by the example of the city of Raunheim.

4. Reduction of pollutant emissions. Alternatives to diesel, such as gas-powered engines or battery-based backup systems, are already in use elsewhere. An expert review must assess whether diesel can be avoided here as well. If cleaner alternatives reduce fine dust pollution, the operator must commit to using them.

5. Immediate planning of the public green space. Regardless of the campus construction timeline, the design of the public green area should begin now, with resident involvement. Large trees (over 10 meters tall) should be planted along the eastern border of the campus.

6. Preserve habitats for open-land birds. Sufficient space must remain on the eastern and northern parts of the site to protect local wildlife. This includes reducing the floor area ratio (GRZ) to a maximum of 0.6 to minimize soil loss (§ 1a of the German Building Code “Baugesetzbuch”).

7. Relocate the power substation if necessary. If the planned substation exceeds 60 kV (60.000 Volt), a new location farther from homes and playgrounds must be considered – for example, near the adjacent country road. A common rule of thumb is 1 meter of distance per 1,000 volts.

8. Continuous monitoring of all potentially harmful emissions (fine dust, noise, electromagnetic radiation, waste heat). A contingency plan must be in place if legal limits are exceeded, and any violations must be issued regularly to the public.

9. Transparency on expected tax revenues (“Gewerbesteuer”) and job creation. No concrete figures have been provided to show how much the city stands to gain. It’s unclear whether Vantage’s corporate structure will even result in significant tax contributions to Bad Vilbel. Nor is it known whether the project will create any local jobs at all (no visible spillover effect).