Data Centers: Daily Notes | October 27, 2026

South Carolina

South Carolina lawmakers are gearing up for a debate over data center regulations in the 2027 legislative session, with Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, drafting legislation to set new requirements for future facilities.

South Carolina Lawmakers Prepare for Data Center Debate in 2027

South Carolina lawmakers are preparing for a major debate over data center development during the 2027 legislative session, as concerns grow about the facilitie

Fort Mill SunPatrick Byrne

Davis’s proposal would mandate closed-loop cooling systems that recycle water, encourage companies to generate their own electricity, and restrict where data centers can be built. He said local governments would stay central to approval decisions, with state guidelines meant to help communities make informed choices. Sen. Russell Ott, D-Calhoun, said lawmakers could also consider requiring companies to disclose projected energy and water use before projects are approved.

Charles County, Maryland

The Charles County Planning Commission unanimously approved changes to its planning and design review board process Monday, with county officials stressing the update has nothing to do with data centers.

Residents raised concerns during public comment in August that the changes would make it easier to build data centers in the St. Charles planned unit development. Director of Planning and Growth Management Jason Groth said the update only simplifies approvals for minor projects, like sheds, decks, and fences, and for commercial ownership or tenant changes. He added that any data center would still need energy analyses assessing its impact on local and regional electrical grids, beyond county approval.

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

Luzerne County Council will discuss a proposed data center zoning ordinance at a Tuesday work session, the first of two planned sessions on the measure.

Luzerne County Council set to discuss data center zoning ordinance

<p>A proposed data center zoning ordinance is on Tuesday’s Luzerne County Council agenda for discussion.</p>

Times LeaderJennifer Learn-Andes

The amendment would apply to the 19 municipalities that rely on county zoning rather than their own, and would require all data center requests to go through special exception approval from the county Zoning Hearing Board. It also sets out an extensive list of conditions projects must meet. The county Planning Commission recommended the amendment to council earlier this month. Council Chairman Jimmy Sabatino said the proposal will get two separate work sessions so council members and the public fully understand it.

Public Meetings Online | Luzerne County, PA

Information on attending Council and Committee meeting online

Luzerne County Pennsylvania HomepageGovernment Websites by CivicPlus®

Ashville, Ohio

Ashville voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to repeal the village’s agreement with EdgeConneX, which sets the framework for negotiating two data centers already under construction.

The Development and Supply Agreement summary outlines community benefits, commits the village not to dispute the company’s environmental strategies, and exempts the project from the village’s existing data center moratorium. Opponents say overturning it would strip EdgeConneX of special benefits and hold the project to the same rules as others, though it would not stop construction. Village administrators have said EdgeConneX will likely move forward regardless, since it owns the land and the site is already zoned for a data center.

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Gilbert, Arizona

Gilbert Town Council postponed action on proposed data center regulations at its Oct. 20 meeting, directing staff to revise the rules and bring them back Dec. 15.l

The proposal would ban open-loop evaporative cooling, limit data centers to Light Industrial and General Industrial zones, require a 650-foot setback from residential areas, and bar the town from supplying potable water for cooling at principal data centers. Since August, staff added a change allowing accessory data centers, which serve only the internal needs of an on-site business, to use town drinking water. Vice Mayor Chuck Bongiovanni pushed for more time, arguing the town should focus on smaller and micro data centers and seek input from the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and local businesses. Councilman Kenny Buckland was the only vote against the delay.

San Diego, California

San Diego City Council is set to vote this week on a 45-day moratorium on new data centers and expansions of existing ones, as the NAVWAR site emerges as a possible location for what would be California’s largest data center.

San Diego City Council to vote on data center moratorium this week

City Council leaders will meet this week to vote on an emergency ordinance that would place a temporary moratorium on new data centers.

NBC San DiegoJeanette Quezada

The moratorium could be extended once it expires, giving city leaders time to write regulations with clear guardrails for developers. District 9 Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera said the goal is to prevent a rush of permit applications before rules are in place, and that a policy proposal has been submitted with drafting of the law still ahead. Mayor Todd Gloria has also signed an executive order freezing data center construction.

Aurora, Colorado

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman rejected Vantage’s offer to consider moving its Trident data center farther from residential neighborhoods in exchange for a 90-day pause on new data center rules.

Vantage made the offer in a letter to the city council, but Coffman responded in writing that the city needs to move forward now with guidelines that protect residential areas. The council is set to vote Monday on an indefinite moratorium on new data center applications, which would need seven votes to pass since a previous attempt failed. Earlier this year, the council rejected a six-month moratorium, with Coffman casting the tie-breaking vote against it. Even if approved, the moratorium would not stop Trident, which has already been approved, and likely wouldn’t take effect until February.

Palm Beach County, California

Palm Beach County commissioners voted 4-1 against spending nearly $225,000 on a consulting firm to write new data center rules, even as the controversial “Project Tango” moves forward through an administrative approval.

Commissioner Marci Woodward was the lone yes vote, and Commissioner Greg Weiss was absent. The commission will revisit other consulting options at its Nov. 18 meeting and discuss creating a public advisory group of residents and technical experts to evaluate the project’s environmental and logistical impacts.

Meanwhile, PBA Holdings won preliminary approval on Oct. 7 to nearly triple the data center’s footprint using a 2016 master plan, despite a 5-1 commission rejection in July. Commissioner Maria Sachs said she expects a zoning task force to be in place before the county’s one-year moratorium expires.

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