Data Centers: Daily Notes | May 14, 2026
Minneapolis lines up a moratorium vote, Calipatria weighs an unusually long five-year pause, and Urbana moves to undo the zoning that let data centers in.
At A Glance 🔽
- Minneapolis City Council takes up a data center moratorium May 21.
- Logan County, Illinois zoning board approves a 90-day moratorium.
- Daviess County, Kentucky Fiscal Court takes up the first reading of a one-year moratorium ordinance.
- Calipatria, California votes to consider a five-year moratorium, a first for Imperial County.
- East Fishkill, New York plans to renew its industrial moratorium and extend it to cover data centers.
- Urbana, Ohio begins rolling back the zoning changes that made data centers easier to build.
- South Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania authorizes a revised data center ordinance for advertisement.
- Franklin County, Virginia pauses its zoning ordinance update two months before a final vote after resident backlash.
- Pittsburg County, Oklahoma committee endorses tax incentives tied to a proposed $50 billion data center near Kiowa.
- Pima County, Arizona cites a contractor at the Project Blue data center site for air quality violations.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Minneapolis City Council is set to take up a data center moratorium on May 21.
Ward 12 Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, who introduced the ordinance with Council Member Jason Chavez, led a town hall this week where residents pressed for answers on water use, electricity bills and noise. If the proposal advances, it would move to the full council for a final vote in June, after which Mayor Jacob Frey could sign or veto it. The council appeared divided in April, with some members noting data centers could fill vacant downtown office space and others warning a moratorium would create uncertainty for the market.
Community Post
Logan County, Illinois
Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 06:00pm
🔗 Zoning and Economic Development Agenda
The Logan County Zoning Board voted to approve a 90-day moratorium on large data centers, a shorter pause than the year-long version many residents wanted. The full county board still has to vote on it.
Zoning and Economic Development Chairman Dale Nelson said the county would lose its deal with Hut 8 if it waits too long. The proposed Hut 8 data center promises a $5 billion investment, $65 million in annual tax revenue and 200 permanent jobs. Hut 8 said it has signed a commitment letter with enforceable terms, including a cap on water usage and environmental compliance.
Daviess County, Kentucky
The Daviess County Fiscal Court takes up the first reading of an ordinance Thursday that would impose a one-year moratorium on large-scale data center applications. A second reading and vote would be required later.
The pause would halt acceptance, review, processing and approval of data center applications for 12 months, and would direct the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission to study impacts on infrastructure, the environment and land use. Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said the idea originated at a Kentucky County Judge/Executive Association conference.
Calipatria, California
The Calipatria City Council voted to consider a five-year moratorium on large-scale data center development. Mayor Michael Luellen said makes Calipatria the first city in Imperial County to take such a step.
The proposed interim urgency ordinance would establish a temporary five-year pause on the approval, permitting, construction or expansion of large-scale data center facilities. The agenda item noted the city currently has no specific zoning or development standards for such projects, and the pause is intended to give staff time to study impacts to water resources, electrical infrastructure and public health. The measure now moves to a public hearing.
East Fishkill, New York
The East Fishkill Town Board plans to renew its moratorium on industrial properties, which expires June 30, and this time extend it to cover data centers. The move follows an inquiry from New Jersey-based Treetop Development about building a data center on a parcel originally slated for a 765,000-square-foot warehouse.
From Facebook 🔗 "Press release from E. Fishkill regarding data center."
Town Supervisor Nicholas D'Alessandro said the town does not have the electrical capacity to support a facility of that scale. He said the purpose of the extension is to give the town adequate time to review current zoning and determine whether additional safeguards are needed before large-scale data centers could be considered on industrially zoned land.
Urbana, Ohio
The Urbana City Council has started the process of rolling back zoning changes that made it easier to build data centers, following a moratorium passed in March.
A resolution introduced by Councilwoman Amy Jumper passed on May 5 and begins reversing last year's changes to Urbana's M-1 Manufacturing District. It does not immediately change zoning rules; the Planning Commission must review the proposal and recommend before it returns to the council. Community members and environmental groups have raised concerns about Cedar Bog, a biodiverse fen about a mile and a half from the proposed site. Thor Equities, the developer behind the proposed Urbana Technology Hub, has described the project as a $1 billion private investment.
South Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania
The South Londonderry Township Board of Supervisors authorized a revised data center ordinance for advertisement at its May 12 meeting, a procedural step toward adoption.
The motion included removing a definition of continuous operational noise and removing a reference to a bond associated with a decommissioning plan, both prompted by recommendations from township solicitor Patrick Armstrong. The board's next regular meeting is scheduled for June 9.
Franklin County, Virginia
Franklin County is pausing a planned update to its zoning ordinance two months before a scheduled final vote, after residents pushed back on the proposed changes.
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The Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission reached the decision at a joint meeting Wednesday 📆. Planning Commission Chair Sherrie Mitchell said the draft had been handed to the public prematurely under a consultant's timeline. On data centers, Blue Ridge District representative Tim Tatum noted the county has no recourse if one builds in its unzoned areas and suggested a possible referendum.
Franklin County is the only Virginia county split between zoned and unzoned areas, and data centers are currently permitted by right in its Regional Enterprise Park zones.
Pittsburg County, Oklahoma
A Pittsburg County review committee formally recommended approval of tax increment finance districts tied to a proposed $50 billion data center near Kiowa.
Australia-based IREN wants to build "Project Emerald", a 1.2-gigawatt data center on 2,000 acres along U.S. Highway 69, and has purchased 340 acres so far for $19 million. The plan includes an 85 percent property tax abatement if the facility's electrical capacity exceeds 550 megawatts. The TIF districts still need approval from the county Board of Commissioners. IREN acknowledges the project would create just 40 permanent jobs per phase. Oklahoma City and Tulsa have both passed temporary data center moratoriums.
Pima County, Arizona
Pima County cited a contractor at the Project Blue data center site for air quality violations, with potential fines of up to $10,000 per day.
Government Websites by CivicPlus®
The county's Department of Environmental Quality issued a notice of violation to AMES Construction after inspections on May 8 and May 11 found the company violated its fugitive dust permit. AMES, which is preparing the 290-acre site north of the Pima County Fairgrounds, has until May 17 to respond. The violation came after the city of Tucson revoked AMES's permit to use a city water meter, with City Manager Tim Thomure telling the developer the $3.6 billion project is not eligible for city resources.
"The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality on May 12, 2026, served AMES Construction..."
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