No "AI Data Center" planned for Blackwell says City ; Industrial Leaders

June 21, 2026

Early Sunday, Blackwell Facebook users reacted to a post shared from Google’s AI Search Overview that claimed an AI data center was “in the works” for Blackwell.

Officials with both the City of Blackwell and the Blackwell Industrial Authority say the information is false.

“There has been no discussion at the City of Blackwell of any data center coming to our location,” City Manager Jerry Wieland told the Blackwell Journal-Tribune on Sunday.

Charlene Flannery, executive director of the Blackwell Industrial Authority and Economic Development Authority, also responded to a request for comment.

“At this time, the BIA is not engaged in any discussions with companies seeking to bring in a data center, nor does it have plans to pursue any requests for proposals for this type of industry,” Flannery said. “The BIA’s focus has been and will continue to be helping existing companies expand and grow and attracting new investment that complements our region’s industrial ecosystem.”

Flannery said the BIA is aware of a facility at 402 S. 29th St., a former marijuana grow facility owned by a private business owner out of Edmond.

“It is the intent of the BIA to be aware of any potential large vacant buildings that may be available for investment, whether privately owned or public, in order to facilitate potential investment,” Flannery said. “It is at the owner’s prerogative to market their personal property however they see fit. Any new company locating would need to take the proper steps to ensure appropriate zoning and permitting through the City of Blackwell.”

The Google AI Overview, a highly scrutinized feature that generates answers at the top of some Google search results by pulling information from various online sources, identified the site as the “Blackwell AI Foundry & Data Park” and linked to LoopNet as its source.

LoopNet, a commercial real estate website, lists a 10,000-square-foot property at 402 S. 29th St. as the alleged “data center.” The property was previously used as a marijuana cultivation site.

However, the listing describes the property as “a fully operational, high-density data center designed for AI, High-Performance Computing (HPC), and enterprise workloads.” In other words, the listing markets the building as capable of supporting data center use, but that does not confirm that an active data center business is operating there or that one is coming to Blackwell.

The LoopNet listing also includes an alleged Certificate of Occupancy from the City of Blackwell, issued in February 2026 to Cornerstone Land Development, listing the site’s proposed use as a data center. The certificate has not been fully verified by the City of Blackwell at press time.

A certificate of occupancy verifies that a property meets applicable safety, structural and zoning standards for a stated use. It does not confirm that a specific business has opened or is contractually committed to opening.

Given the complex economic, utility and environmental considerations involved, any large-scale data center project would likely require public discussion and approval through the proper city channels. It would not be an overnight setup. The public would be informed through posted City Council agendas and public meetings.

The Blackwell City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month at Blackwell City Hall, 221 W. Blackwell Ave. Agendas are posted in advance, typically on the Tuesday before each meeting.

A brochure attached to the LoopNet listing reads, “For Lease: Blackwell AI Foundry & Data Park,” and is attributed to Rodney A. Babb with “Turtle Creek.” Babb’s verified LinkedIn page lists him as manager at U.S. Industrial Investments LLC. The point of contact for the LoopNet listing is Alex Snoddy with Snoddy Properties, based in Oklahoma City.

The confusion also raises broader questions about the reliability of AI-generated search summaries. An April 2026 report from PCMag’s Jon Martindale cited findings from The New York Times and AI startup Oimi showing that roughly one in 10 Google AI Overview results included at least one summary with incorrect information.

The New York Times report also showed how a BBC journalist used a deliberately misleading article to test Google’s AI Overview. Within 24 hours, Google’s summary repeated false information from the article.

Closer to home, Stillwater is currently expecting a massive 300,000-square-foot Google AI data center along U.S. 177/Perkins Road. The project was approved by voters in November 2024, with 10,267 in favor and 3,933 opposed.

Stillwater’s Google data center is expected to be completed in 2027, with construction currently ongoing.