Data center growth is accelerating — and so is community and regulatory scrutiny. This brief survey (3–5 minutes) explores how developers and owners are managing permitting risk, community expectations, and environmental performance at the site level.

Participants will receive an exclusive summary of the anonymized results, providing a benchmark of how peers across the U.S. are approaching sustainability, water management, and ecological integration to enhance project success. All responses will remain confidential and reported only in aggregate.
Section 1: Community Dynamics and Development Risk

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* 1. How much of a challenge is local community opposition or scrutiny in your current or planned projects?

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* 2. Which community concerns most frequently arise during project development? Please rank from most [1] to least [5].

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* 3. (Optional) If you selected "Other" in the question above, please explain. If N/A, please skip to the next question.

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* 4. Have community concerns ever caused measurable delays or project redesigns?

Section 2: Strategies to Reduce Risk and Strengthen Community Alignment

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* 5. Does your company provide funding for community-based projects in the areas where it operates?

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* 6. What are the main drivers for community or sustainability investments? (Select all that apply)

Section 3: Water Stewardship and Site-Level Innovation

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* 7. Does your organization have a formal water-neutral or water stewardship policy?

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* 8. Are you familiar with or exploring water-positive/volumetric water benefits (VWBs) projects – initiatives that offset operational water use by restoring or replenishing local water systems?

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* 9. How important are water-positive approaches (e.g., resilience, local supply reliability, drought mitigation) in your long-term site planning or operations strategy?

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* 10. Has your company explored Ecological Site Solutions (ESS) approaches to better align projects with local ecosystems – such as habitat restoration, flood mitigation, or native landscaping?

Section 4: Ecological Site Solutions and Local Integration

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* 11. In your view, how could Ecological Site Solutions influence project outcomes?

Section 5: Benchmarking and Follow-Up

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* 12. Would you like to receive an anonymized summary of this industry survey to benchmark your approach against peers?

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* 13. Would you like RES to share examples or case studies with you showing how developers have used ecological site design and water benefit projects to reduce permitting risk and enhance project value?

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* 14. (Optional) Anything else you would like to add?

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* 15. (Optional) Please share your role in your organization.

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* 16. (Optional) Please share your organization type.

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