Montgomery County, Maryland

Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass introduced a bill to freeze data center permits for six months, including a 360-megawatt campus proposed at a former coal plant site in Dickerson.

The bill would stop the county's permitting department from accepting, reviewing, or issuing building or grading permits for any data center project. A public hearing is set for June 16. The moratorium follows earlier council efforts to limit data center locations through zoning text amendments and a failed task force proposal.

Maricopa County, Arizona

Home | Project Baccara

Project Baccara

Maricopa County's Board of Supervisors approved a $10 billion data center known as Project Baccara.

The facility would sit about a mile from Luke Air Force Base, directly in its flight path. Supervisor Debbie Lesko said the base's position was the deciding factor. Luke's commander had listed nine conditions the project must meet, and the developer committed in writing to all of them. The project includes 2 million square feet of space and a dedicated natural gas power plant.

Colleton County, South Carolina

Colleton County Council unanimously voted to advance a six-month moratorium on data center development to a second reading.

Monday, May 4, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Meeting Agenda

Data centers are currently permitted as special exceptions in rural or light industrial zones. Zoning changes adopted in late 2025 enabled the approval process, and a 1,000-megawatt proposal shortly after drew roughly 400 residents to a public meeting in December.

The pause would give the county time to review where data centers are currently allowed and update land use codes. The moratorium needs two more readings before taking effect.

Gardner, Kansas

A data center developer withdrew its proposal for Gardner after the city declined to offer tax incentives and residents organized heavily against the project.

Gardner, Kansas - Beale Infrastructure

Beale Infrastructure

About 200 residents from three counties packed a city council meeting on Monday to voice opposition, even though the project wasn't on the agenda. The city then told Beale Infrastructure it would not offer tax incentives, and the developer pulled its application. The project had been billed as the largest infrastructure investment in Johnson County history.

Dorrance Township, Pennsylvania

Dorrance Township's zoning hearing board unanimously denied a challenge from Brewster Land Company, ruling that the township's zoning ordinance does not unlawfully exclude data centers.

The company had argued the ordinance, as written before a September 2025 amendment, failed to accommodate data center facilities. Brewster Land's attorney said the ruling was expected and indicated the company plans to continue its appeal. The 2025 amendment limits data centers to industrial zones.

Tazewell County, Illinois

Tazewell County Board approved a resolution directing the zoning department to stop accepting data center petitions while the board drafts a new ordinance.

The board also amended its zoning code so that any land use not explicitly listed is now considered prohibited, rather than allowed under the most similar category. The board expects to finish the ordinance within two to three months.

Douglas County, Kansas

Douglas County commissioners heard public calls for a moratorium on data centers and battery energy storage systems during a work session on how to address two land uses currently undefined in county code.

No local projects have been proposed, but a county planner confirmed that a text amendment process is underway that effectively creates a legal pause: no applications for these uses can be acted on until new regulations are adopted. Residents raised concerns about potential spikes in electric and water bills. Rural water districts told county staff they lack the capacity for data center-scale demand even with closed-loop cooling. Commissioners directed further research into water rights and non-lithium battery alternatives.

Middlesex Township, Pennsylvania

Data Centers: Daily Notes | April 28, 2026

Denver Council moves toward moratorium; Killeen and Rochelle both reject data center proposals; Ohio petition drive aims for constitutional 25 MW cap.

STRisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsDane Artisola

Middlesex Township supervisors unanimously approved land development plans for the PAX-1 data center's electrical infrastructure and first campus, but an attorney announced plans to challenge the project's zoning as illegal spot zoning. The developer, PowerHouse Data Centers, still faces final land development plan review.

PAX-1

- ,

Smithfield, Rhode Island

Data Centers: Daily Notes | April 13, 2026

Colorado confronts data center moratorium and dueling state bills; Oklahoma committee demands closed-loop cooling for groundwater permits.

STRisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsDane Artisola

Smithfield Town Council voted to approve an ordinance listing data centers as "not permitted" in every zoning district in the town.

STRisker Government Office Dashboard

Trying to keep up with the main players in the STR game? Know your councilmembers, commissioners, committee chairs, and key staff that are part of the process.

Create Your Watchlist - 14 Day Free Trial

👍 We’d love your feedback.
Which stories hit? Which ones missed?

We're exploring a new branch of topics centered around Data Centers and want to make it even more useful for you.

✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!

-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading Daily Notes? Feel free to forward this along. We’re opening a few more spots.