Data Centers: Daily Notes | October 12, 2026

Springfield, Missouri

Springfield’s Planning and Zoning Commission will consider a text amendment Oct. 15 that would define data centers in the city’s zoning code, while also recommending whether to extend the administrative delay on data center development another 120 days, to Feb. 24, 2027.

City Manager David Cameron said the amendment does not approve any development or decide whether to ban data centers, and only creates a definition so work on regulations can begin. It would sort data centers into three classes: an accessory center inside a principal building using no more than 20% of floor area and under 1 megawatt; a micro center of up to 10,000 square feet and under 5 megawatts; and a large-load center beyond either limit.

Both the definition and the extension go to City Council for a public hearing and vote, expected Oct. 26 and Nov. 16 respectively, and staff expect to present regulation options in January. The pause is being challenged in a lawsuit by developer Trent Overhue, who is seeking a temporary restraining order and argues the zoning at 2900 S. National Ave. already allows “data processing services.” .

South Bristol, New York

South Bristol’s Town Board is holding a public hearing at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 6500 West Gannett Hill Rd., on a proposed local law that would ban the construction of data centers and artificial intelligence computing facilities.

The legislation defines a data center as a facility that stores and processes digital data and houses large network systems, and an AI computing facility as one used for high-performance computing, machine learning, AI training or similar activities. The town welcomes questions and comments from the public.

The proposal comes during New York’s year-long statewide pause on large data center construction, which is meant to give local governments time to decide how to respond. Nearby, the Henrietta town supervisor wants any data center plans to fall under incentive zoning instead of a special use permit, giving the town more say.

Aurora, Colorado

Aurora City Council was set to consider on first reading Monday an ordinance that would tighten zoning rules for data centers by barring them from certain mixed-use zoning, a category that includes schools and assisted living facilities.

The change would not apply retroactively to projects already moving through the city’s process, including Trident, a proposed data center off 48th Avenue that has drawn much of the public discussion. It would cover only upcoming proposals. The measure comes a few weeks after hours of public opposition to Trident.

Mayor Mike Coffman has said he intends to call for a council vote on Trident regardless of the risk of litigation, writing in a Facebook post that the data center “must be stopped.” That would mark a different approach from a few months ago, when Councilmember Amy Wiles proposed a six-month data center moratorium that was voted down after Coffman cast the tiebreaking vote.

Manatee County, Florida

Manatee County commissioners unanimously approved a 12-month moratorium on new large-scale data center development at their Oct. 8 meeting, halting applications for data center-related developments in the unincorporated county.

The planning commission recommended approval Sept. 17, and every decision on the measure has been unanimous. County officials said the existing Land Development Code does not define data centers, large-scale data centers or large-load customers as land uses. A Florida law that took effect July 1 defines a large-scale data center as one with an anticipated monthly peak electrical load of at least 50 megawatts and preserves local authority over land development regulations for them. Commissioner Amanda Ballard said the pause lets the county put the right rules in place and decide where, how and if such facilities fit.

During the pause, staff will study impacts on electricity and water use, facility size and location, compatibility with neighboring properties, noise and buffering. The moratorium runs 12 months or until commissioners repeal it, and the board can extend it. No planned data center developments would be halted, and the county’s business impact estimate expects no new costs or fees for businesses.

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St. Cloud, Minnesota

St. Cloud city staff are recommending that the Planning Commission keep its proposed data center rules as drafted, without a water use cap or a wider buffer from homes, when the commission takes up the city’s first-ever data center regulations Tuesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

The commission postponed action in September and sent staff back with questions. The treatment plant can produce 24 million gallons a day, against average demand of about 8 million and summer peaks near 15.5 million. Staff said widening the buffer between large data centers and homes from a quarter mile to a half mile would eliminate much of the land where one could locate, with little added benefit since facilities must already meet state noise limits at the property line.

Under the draft, the largest facilities would be limited to industrial zones and need a conditional use permit, while smaller enterprise-scale data centers would be allowed in two commercial districts. The hyper-scale line is set at 2,000 servers, which staff call conservative so more projects go to a public hearing, and applicants would file a public community impact study covering water, noise, air, traffic and electricity use.

Swatara Township, Pennsylvania

Swatara Township’s Board of Commissioners approved community benefits agreements last week for two proposed data centers, Highlands West and Highlands East, totaling $120.3 million in contributions.

Swatara Township approves community benefits plan for data center projects

Swatara Township’s Board of Commissioners approved community benefits agreements for a pair of proposed data centers last week.

WHPSam Woloson

The agreements include $84.15 million tied to Highlands West and $36.15 million tied to Highlands East. Highlands West is expected to be built over the Dauphin Highlands Golf Course at 650 South Harrisburg Street, and Highlands East would sit at 4951 Highland Street, according to the developers’ preliminary plans.

The largest allocations are $38 million for a joint police and fire headquarters and emergency operations center, $27 million in restricted long-term funding for roads, public works, parks, technology and capital reserves, and $24 million for a second public safety facility. The rest covers firefighter staffing and pensions ($12 million), fire apparatus ($8 million), operating-cost stabilization including trash collection and help for seniors, veterans and hardship cases ($4 million), a training facility ($3 million), patrol vehicles and infrastructure protection equipment ($3 million), scholarships and workforce training ($1 million) and consulting fees ($300,000).

Denville, New Jersey

Denville’s Town Council introduced an ordinance at its Oct. 6 meeting that would amend the land use code to prohibit all high-intensity computing facilities, with a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 11.

Denville Proposes Ban on AI Data Centers and Crypto Mining

Denville’s land use update would ban AI data centers, crypto mining and AI data nodes in every zone, with a final vote listed for Nov. 10.

Denville NowDenville Now Staff

Attorney Jason Kassler first presented the proposal at a June 16 workshop. The ordinance would define a high-intensity computing facility by criteria including continuous 24-hour industrial-scale processing, high-density server clusters, mechanical cooling not customary for office or commercial buildings, electrical demand well above comparable commercial uses, and backup or supplemental power exceeding minimum emergency code requirements. Its examples are AI data centers, cryptocurrency mining operations and AI data nodes, which the ordinance describes as mini data centers attached to homes.

Kassler told the council that large AI data centers produce vibration that cannot be heard but can shake windows, and that companies want to place data nodes by the hundreds throughout towns rather than build one large facility.

Millburn Township, New Jersey

Millburn Township Committee withdrew a proposed ordinance at its Oct. 6 meeting that would have prohibited data centers in the township, after the Planning Board found it inconsistent with the Master Plan.

Resolution 26-231 formally removes Ordinance 2770-26, which was introduced Sept. 1 and had been scheduled for a public hearing and final adoption vote on Oct. 6. The resolution states the committee remains committed to prohibiting data centers within Millburn, but that additional review, revisions and community input are needed before any future legislation moves forward.

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Identify the key players involved in data center permitting and understand the challenges and strategies for on-time submission of requirements.

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