Community opposition to large, water‑ and power‑hungry data centers has intensified, blocking or delaying dozens of proposals and forcing developers to navigate new zoning and permitting challenges. Between April and June alone, watchdog groups counted multiple projects valued at nearly $100 billion affected by local pushback. Colleges and universities that house high‑performance computing or partner with cloud/data vendors face similar scrutiny over energy demand, land use and environmental trade‑offs. Municipal boards are increasingly focused on electricity rates, water use and local economic benefits when weighing approvals. Campus planners should add community engagement, transparent environmental assessments and energy‑mitigation commitments to data‑facility proposals. Early coordination with utilities and local governments can reduce the risk of project stoppages that threaten research timelines and cross‑institution collaborations.