Headlines on data centers and what they mean for communities
Data Center Zoning & Rezoning
Zoning and rezoning votes decide where data centers can be built and under what rules. Recent headlines include Oro Valley's 7-0 ban on standalone data centers and Mahwah, N.J.'s ban on data centers over 50 MW. Kirksville, Mo., limited data centers to its M-2 zoning district and at least 500 feet from residential areas, and Glendale, Ariz., approved rezoning for Project Eagle. Other votes went the other way, such as the 2-2 rezoning ties in DeSoto County, Fla., and the unanimous denial by Mountain City, Tenn., planners.
37 headlines, newest first. Times are Pacific. Each headline links to the original reporting.
The South Kingstown Town Council unanimously approved an ordinance Monday night, Oct. 26, that defines a data center as an industrial use and prohibits it in zoning districts. A builder would need a use variance, showing the loss of all beneficial use of the property, or a zoning amendment; officials cited the electricity and water data centers use, with the town already in a drought.
After 150 minutes of mostly negative public comment on Oct. 29, the Hazle Township planning department voted unanimously to send its data center rules, a curative amendment to the zoning ordinance, to the supervisors, who have final authority to enact them. The planners added recommendations to limit diesel generator run time, require separate review of small modular reactors, add lithium-ion battery fire safeguards and raise the decommissioning bond to 120% from 110%.
ADP Little Rock Data Hub, the company behind the proposed $6 billion AVAIO Digital data center near Wrightsville, sued Pulaski County, County Judge Barry Hyde and Justice of the Peace Julie Blackwood in federal court on Oct. 29. The complaint alleges the county's data center ordinance, which took effect after the Quorum Court overrode Hyde's veto, is unlawful and unconstitutional; the ordinance does not ban data centers but would put the project through a conditional use permit process.
Dozens of people commented on Hazle Township's draft data center ordinance at a special Planning Department meeting Thursday, which would make data centers a permitted use in the I-1 Industrial District. Many speakers wanted data centers allowed only by special exception, others criticized cutting setbacks from 1,250 feet to 500 feet, and at least one speaker supported the draft as written. The township's solicitor said Dec. 7 is the deadline to approve a curative amendment on data centers.
City staff presented a first draft of data center regulations to the Port Angeles Planning Commission on Wednesday night. More than 20 people commented, and most said they oppose allowing data centers in the city, citing noise, environmental impacts, and water and electricity use; the draft has not yet been reviewed by legal counsel, and a six-month moratorium runs through Feb. 28, 2027.
Lower Swatara Township officials told a Thursday night planning commission meeting they are drafting a data center ordinance before any developer has proposed a project. Setbacks of 500 feet from homes and 250 feet from non-residential boundaries are among the requirements under consideration, and the commission aims to send a recommendation to township commissioners within a few months.
In a special meeting Thursday, Chatham County commissioners voted unanimously to change a zoning ordinance so language about data centers can be added, and scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 30 on development standards. The county adopted a temporary moratorium in February, which a property owner has challenged in court over a planned 750-megawatt data center near Moncure.
