PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida

Four hundred people packed the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center for a town hall on Project Tango, a proposed data center at Southern Boulevard near the Arden neighborhood. The meeting quickly turned into shouting, booing, and accusations.

County Mayor Sara Baxter opened by declaring she is "not in support of Project Tango," but the crowd wasn't placated. Reports had surfaced that she accepted $12,000 in campaign contributions from Project Tango landowners. Project manager Ernie Cox announced a scaled-back proposal, reducing data storage space to 1.032 million sq ft in five buildings (down from 11). Residents pushed back hard.

📅 The Palm Beach County Commission hearing is scheduled for April 23.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Virginia

A three-judge Virginia Court of Appeals panel heard oral arguments in two separate challenges to the Digital Gateway data center project, a proposed corridor of over 22 million square feet across 2,100+ acres near Gainesville.

The cases turn on whether the lame-duck Board of County Supervisors provided proper public notice before a marathon 27-hour hearing in December 2023. Lead plaintiff attorney Craig Blakeley argued the county "let the ad slip through the cracks" when it failed to confirm newspaper advertisements with The Washington Post. Developer attorneys, who numbered 19 on the scheduling order, insisted the notice satisfied the statutory minimum. A Prince William Circuit Court judge had previously declared the rezoning void, halting the project.

A ruling from the appellate panel is expected within two months.

NEW YORK

More than 100 community, environmental, and faith organizations sent a letter to Gov. Hochul and state legislators calling for passage of a statewide data center moratorium bill (S.9144/A.10141), introduced by Sen. Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Anna Kelles.

The letter, organized by Food & Water Watch, was signed by groups including Citizen Action of New York, NYPIRG, and New York Communities for Change. The coalition cited a 43% increase in residential electricity rates between 2020 and 2025, warning that data center expansion risks driving bills even higher. The bill would require a comprehensive assessment of environmental and economic impacts before any new data center could be built.

ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, Georgia

Data Centers // February 25, 2026

Georgia takes center stage with three separate data center fights: a $5B campus, an outright ban proposal, and a 180-day moratorium. New moratoriums land in North Carolina, Indiana, and New Jersey. READ MORE.

STRisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsDane Artisola

Athens-Clarke County commissioners are expected to vote Tuesday on whether to extend the moratorium on data centers that began in December 2025, after 10 hours of debate-filled meetings where residents voiced concerns over water, power, and utility costs.

The alternative is accepting proposed regulations from the county planning commission, which would require closed-loop cooling systems and on-site clean energy for facilities over 5 MW.

Commissioner Melissa Link asked the county attorney if an outright ban was possible. State Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens) questioned the value of data centers to Georgia: "We're already in water wars... So is it smart policy to bring low numbers of jobs but large uses of electricity and water?"

PENNSYLVANIA

The Pennsylvania House Energy Committee voted to advance two data center bills on a 14-12 party-line vote, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed.

HB 2150 would require data centers to report annual energy and water consumption. HB 2151 would allow the state to offer a model zoning ordinance for municipalities. Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia) said the bills aim to ensure "none of the costs of building out these projects are put on the backs of regular consumers." Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron) warned the mandated reporting and model ordinance could push data centers to other states.

MASON COUNTY, Kentucky

Mason County Fiscal Court unanimously adopted Ordinance 26-01 after a second reading on Feb. 27, placing data center regulations into law.

Key provisions include:

• 750-foot residential setbacks (up from 500 feet initially),
• a 500-foot setback for sensitive uses,
• a 50 dB(A) daytime noise limit,
• weekly generator testing that must comply with noise requirements,
• and construction noise restrictions.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska

The Anchorage Assembly spent nearly two hours on Feb. 27 examining how to regulate data centers before any formal proposals reach the city, reviewing Ordinance AO 2026-27 during a work session.

The measure would define data centers as a distinct land use, restrict them to conditional approval in industrial zones, and require detailed impact reviews. The proposal also includes 200-foot residential setbacks, noise mitigation studies, and a requirement that applicants demonstrate the grid can support the load.

DELTA COUNTY, Michigan

Delta County's Planning Commission proposed a resolution that could suspend data center and cryptocurrency mining projects for 12 months while a zoning ordinance is developed.

Commission Chair Amy Berglund said there are no known data center plans for the county but cited concerns over utility demand and water usage. During public comment, a Hannahville Tribal Council member spoke against using lakes and aquifers: "The water can't speak for herself; water has a spirit in our culture, so I'm here to speak for the water." The commission will continue its review and make a decision on the resolution in April.

MONTEREY PARK, California

Monterey Park's city council will consider three data center measures on March 4: a proposed ballot measure to ban data centers citywide, an extension of the city's existing moratorium, and a resolution supporting state-level regulation.

The advocacy group No Data Center MPK is calling on the council to strengthen the ballot measure, arguing it contains loopholes such as an exemption for parcels under one acre and the absence of an accompanying ordinance that would immediately establish a ban. The group says developer HMC is expected to bring significant turnout, and is organizing a rally at 5:30 pm ahead of the 6:30 pm council meeting.

Monterey Park City Council Directs Staff to Explore Options for Permanent Data Center Ban • Monterey Park, CA

CA Monterey Park Home PageGovernment Websites by CivicPlus®

BOSSIER PARISH, Louisiana

An acoustical study found Amazon's planned data center in Bossier Parish is expected to operate within parish noise regulations under both full cooling load and biweekly generator testing conditions, but some testing remains incomplete.

The study, conducted by Ramboll and contracted by site applicant Bohler Engineering, modeled sound at 40-45 dB for cooling operations and 45-50 dB for daytime generator testing which is roughly equivalent to library or quiet suburb levels. Low-frequency sound and tonal compliance won't be fully reviewed until equipment selections are finalized. The 230-acre site north of Benton is being developed by STACK Infrastructure for Amazon, with Haskell serving as general contractor.

🎏 Industry

George Washington University sold its 122-acre Virginia Science and Technology Campus to Amazon Data Services for $427 million with plans to develop the Loudoun County site into a data or information technology center.

The sale adds to Amazon's more than $52 billion investment across three Virginia counties over the last 15 years and a 2023 pledge to invest another $35 billion in the Commonwealth by 2040. The property's assessed value sat at $107.3 million prior to the sale, showing how data center demand has driven Loudoun County commercial land values up 55% over the last year to an average of $3.76 million per acre. GW will remain on the campus for up to five years while it relocates programs, including the School of Nursing. Officials plan to place the proceeds in a quasi-endowment to fund research, teaching, and student financial aid.

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