Land Is a Lasting Asset. Energy Powers the Future. We Bring Expertise to Both.
Cohen 10 P’s Framework
Cohen's 10 "P"s
- The Plug – Available substation & energization timeline
- The Power – Scalable MW capacity (future expansion)
- The Pad – Flat, dry, geotechnically sound site
- The Permit – By-right zoning & fast approvals
- The Path – Fiber, logistics, and heavy haul access
- The Price – Cost per acre & cost per MW
- The Policy – Incentives and pro-development jurisdiction
- The Protection – Flood, climate, and grid resilience
- The Proximity – Talent, metros, and infrastructure access
- The Peace – Low community opposition / rural buffer
Ready to see how your land scores on the Cohen 10 "P"s?
How Does Site Selection Drives Everything Else?
The foundation of any campus-level energy strategy starts with the land. A viable site requires more than acreage: it needs proper zoning, access to water and wastewater systems, fiber connectivity, and a clear path to power. Powered land developmentmeans assessing, entitling, and preparing a site so it can receive and distribute energy at the scale AI workloads demand.
McKinsey estimates that global data center capacity demand could rise 19 to 22% annually through 2030, reaching up to 219 GW. That growth requires enormous amounts of new prepared land with secured power. CIOs who aren’t thinking about the land layer of their infrastructure strategy are leaving a critical variable to chance.
What Role Does Grid Interconnection Play?
Grid interconnection planning is often the most time-consuming piece of the puzzle. Securing a high-capacity connection requires detailed engineering studies, agreements with utility providers, and often significant infrastructure upgrades. Grid interconnection strategies that start early in the site development process can compress the project timeline dramatically.
For enterprises pursuing large-scale AI deployments, the grid connection is the critical path. Projects that wait until the data center design is complete to begin grid planning routinely face delays that derail business timelines and escalate costs.
Where Does Renewable Energy Fit In?
Renewable energy is increasingly a practical enabler of faster deployment rather than a purely environmental play. On-site solar, battery storage, and other renewable energy sources for data centers provide behind-the-meter power that bypasses grid congestion entirely. Paired with power purchase agreements, these solutions also deliver cost stability that traditional utility contracts often cannot.
A BDO industry analysis found that roughly 62% of data center operators are already exploring behind-the-meter renewable solutions, including on-site generation and battery storage systems. This is becoming the default approach for operators who need both speed and resilience.
Matter Most?
In a market where grid interconnection queues stretch for years, the ability to deliver powered, AI-ready energy infrastructure faster than traditional timelines is the single greatest competitive advantage a site can offer. Every month of delay translates to lost revenue from AI products that can’t launch and workloads that can’t scale.
This is why the energy campus model has gained traction so rapidly. By combining site preparation, power development, and grid planning into a parallel workflow rather than a sequential one, experienced developers can dramatically compress the timeline from land acquisition to operational capacity.
How We Work with Land Sellers
How We Work with Land Sellers
We partner closely with landowners and families to position their properties for data center use. Our process typically includes:
Site viability assessment
Evaluating the physical, regulatory, and market suitability of the site for data center development.
Targeting only data center users & developers
We exclusively market to data center operators, cloud providers, and qualified developers—not general commercial buyers.
Fiber and network analysis
Assessing fiber proximity and connectivity options to ensure the site can support enterprise and hyperscale workloads.
Conceptual site planning
Collaborating with architects and engineers to develop conceptual layouts and density plans for prospective buyers.
Power strategy & will-serve letters
Working with sellers, utilities, and independent system operators (ISOs) to secure will-serve letters and maximize power availability relative to the size and potential of the site.
On-site energy & gas solutions
Understanding gas and other behind-the-meter solutions that can support resilient, long-term power strategies.
Cooling & water evaluation
Evaluating water availability and other cooling solutions to support the thermal needs of modern data center design.
Community & risk assessment
Assessing community concerns, permitting risk, and political considerations to help create a smoother path to development.
Demand intelligence for buyers
Acting as a liaison to help buyers understand tenant demand and use cases for the site.
Succession planning & REIT buyers
Sourcing REIT buyers when families or ownership groups prefer a long-term capital partner as part of their succession planning.
Discreet, Targeted Marketing Process
None of our listings have signs – instead, we:
- Proactively identify and contact qualified buyers individually
- Focus exclusively on developers and end users
- Provide buyers with nuanced insight into tenant demand and market dynamics for each specific site
This quiet, relationship-driven process is designed to protect confidentiality, avoid local speculation, and align the right property with the right end user.
Capital Market Advisory
What We Do
- Help Companies Purchase Land/Buildings
- NNN Sale-Leasebacks
- Work With Municipalities To Create Data Center Favorable Legislation
- Work With Utility Providers To Identify Properties That Can Meet Demand Loads
- Help Developers Source Capital Through Pension Funds, Private Equity Firms And Investment Firms
- Complete Multi-Market Strategies To Pursue One or Multiple Buyers
- Assist Data Center Developers In Sourcing And Purchasing Properties
- Experience In Selling And Repositioning Data Centers That Go Beyond Useful Life In Tertiary Markets
What We Know
- Investment Sales
- Capitalization Rates of Recent Sales
- EBITDA Multiples of Completed Sales
- Ever Changing Pool of Buyers
- Data Center Developers, Colocation Providers, Foreign Investors, Brokers
- Private Equity/Joint Venture Transactions
- Real Property vs. Personal Property
- Maximize Value of Property Based on Power Not Square Feet
Consistent Results
- Completed Over $700 MM of Equity Placement With Data Center Developers
- Successful Disposition of Multi-Market Data Center Portfolio Securing Multiple Buyers
- Multiple Sale-Leaseback Transactions
- Completion of several successful dispositions after unsuccessful results by other brokerage houses
Discover why some of the largest users and data center providers partner with us.
Tenant Rep Services
There is more than 125 MSF of multi-tenant data centers in North America. Sorting through the inventory is the easiest part of any assignment, which is why we start with a complete assessment of your situation.
Every client has different concerns:
Co-location versus Cloud?
What state offers the best tax advantage?
Which retail or wholesale provider?
What solution will lower my total cost of ownership and maximize my ability to grow?
Our knowledge of the industry allows us to address these and other questions upfront, allowing us to tailor our solutions to meet your specific needs both today and well into the future.
What We Do
- Evaluate Key Metrics to Define Data Center Strategy
(kW/Rack and Maximizing Racks) - Control and Limit Hidden Costs (PUE, Capex, Taxes, etc.)
- Maximize Growth Strategy
- Create Strategic Plan to Maximize EBITDA
- Lower Total Cost of Operations
- Lease Negotiation
- Negotiate Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
What We Know
- Knowledge of State Laws Related to Sales Taxes and Personal Property Taxes
- Comprehensive Market Overviews
- Historical Market Statistics
- Market Trends Insight
- Natural Disasters
- Price per kW of Utilities Throughout U.S. and Canada
- Current Pricing and Concessions of Providers in all U.S. and Canadian Submarkets
- Hidden Opportunities for Tenants and Developers Alike
Consistent Results
- On average we consistently improved the overall economics of a transaction by between 30% and 35% of what was negotiated prior to hiring us.
- On average our clients have options to grow more than 500% from initial take down.