Data Centers: Weekly Briefing // August 10 - 13, 2026

📋 This Week's Decisions

Just Passed ✔️

Moratoriums Approved

• Waxhaw, NC: The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a 12-month moratorium on data centers, cryptocurrency mining and related telecom infrastructure, even though no project has been proposed, to give the town time to close loopholes in its land development code.
• Bellevue, WI: The village board voted unanimously to enact a one-year moratorium on data center development following a public hearing, joining nearby Wrightstown and Manitowoc County; the pause can be extended six more months.
• Independence County, AR: Officials enacted a data center moratorium running until 2031, acting preemptively despite having no specific project proposed, citing existing strain on local water supply.
• Nicholasville, KY: The city passed a six-month moratorium on data centers, with residents saying they wanted the pause to give both themselves and the city commission time to better understand the facilities' impact on electric bills, property taxes and water.
• Indianapolis, IN: The City-County Council voted 23-1 to pause new data center construction through the end of 2027, giving councilors more time to refine noise, water management and electrical capacity rules. The pause won't affect three projects already approved by the Metropolitan Development Commission, which must still formally ratify the moratorium at its Aug. 19 meeting.

Regulations Passed

• Cherokee Nation, OK: Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. announced a ban on hyperscale data centers on tribally owned and trust lands, citing threats to the environment and Cherokee cultural lifeways. The decision follows a task force report that surveyed nearly 1,600 tribal citizens and found 64% opposed data centers; any project on non-tribal land within the reservation will now require consultation with the tribal government.
• Tucson, AZ: The city approved its first large-scale data center rules in a 6-1 vote after a year of review, requiring facilities over 25,000 square feet or 20 megawatts to sit at least a half-mile from residential areas, cap height at 50 feet, disclose energy sources, stay within potable water limits, and win mayor and council approval on every project.
• Charlestown, RI: The Town Council voted 5-0 to ban both data centers and battery energy storage systems, becoming the second Rhode Island town to prohibit data centers after Smithfield. No project is currently planned; officials cited the town's reliance on well water and septic systems as well as fire and groundwater contamination risks from battery storage.

Projects Approved

• Marietta, GA: City Council voted 5-2 to approve an 11-acre data center on Powers Ferry Place despite the city's own six-month moratorium, which didn't apply because developer Prime Group Holdings had filed its application before the pause took effect. Dozens protested outside City Hall over environmental impact, utility costs and falling home values.
• Cheyenne, WY: City Council voted Aug. 10 to annex and zone a 34.46-acre parcel near Roundtop Road as a staging area for ongoing data center construction in the North Range Business Park, over resident objections about aquifers, noise and incremental annexation.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Louisiana: The Public Service Commission voted 3-1 to let Meta keep details confidential about its Richland Parish data center, overruling an administrative law judge who had subpoenaed job and energy-use data tied to Entergy's proposed $13 billion power plant buildout for the facility. A trial on whether Entergy's power plants can proceed is set for October, with a decision expected by December.
• Grayslake, IL: An $18 billion data center campus is facing a lawsuit from area residents accusing village officials of approving the project through improper private discussions in violation of the state's Open Meetings Act. The suit, filed July 31, seeks to void the 2024 and 2025 approvals and halt further permits for the 472-acre, 18-building project.
• Coachella, CA: City Council was set to discuss an ordinance banning all data centers within city limits Wednesday, the culmination of months of resident advocacy; final adoption is tentatively expected later this month, joining Perris and Desert Hot Springs among Riverside County cities moving against data centers.
• Fort Worth, TX: City leaders laid out a formal three-part plan to regulate data centers, including starting the legal process for a temporary moratorium, after the Zoning Commission voted against amending zoning rules earlier this summer. A proposed 11-member Data Center and Infrastructure Commission would present findings to council Nov. 3 ahead of a possible final vote Feb. 16.
• Pulaski County, AR: The Quorum Court advanced a new regulatory ordinance classifying large-scale data centers as heavy industrial and requiring a Conditional Use Permit, setting 500-foot residential setbacks and noise caps, ahead of a full vote Aug. 25.
• Gilroy, CA: Residents said they had no idea an Amazon data center was being built on 56 acres of farmland between a Walmart and a shopping center until construction had already begun, after the project moved forward under a 45-year-old zoning rule; public comment had closed in 2024, before most residents learned of the project.
• New Mexico: Democratic lawmakers got a first hearing on a proposed statewide data center moratorium, pointing to Oracle and OpenAI's Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County as the reason; Republicans on the committee pushed back, and Santa Fe, Sierra and Socorro counties have already adopted their own local pauses.
• Conneaut, OH: City Council voted 2-4 against a one-year moratorium on its third reading despite months of resident pressure, while a separate ballot measure that would cap data centers at 25 megawatts heads to its own third reading and a possible special election.
• Missouri lawmakers announced plans for AI and data center legislation once the legislature reconvenes in January 2027, releasing an evaluation framework in the meantime to help local governments assess proposals.
• Calvert County, MD: Amazon gave its first public explanation for withdrawing its planned campus near the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, saying the move reflected internal infrastructure planning rather than local opposition; the county continues pursuing a proposed six-month moratorium regardless.
• Klickitat County, WA is drawing tension over a proposed 1,050-megawatt solar and 800-megawatt battery storage facility that could ultimately supply power for a data center, as officials work to finalize land use rules for renewable energy development on agricultural land.
• Lincoln County, NE is weighing a detailed nine-page draft of data center regulations that would require closed-loop cooling, proof that projects won't shift infrastructure costs onto ratepayers, and screening near schools, hospitals and residences.
• Wisconsin is seeing growing opposition to two proposed natural gas plants meant to power data centers in Kenosha and Walworth counties, with a UW-Madison study estimating $1.38 billion in nationwide health harms over the plants' 30-year lifetimes.
• Fort Smith, AR is considering additional data center regulations covering water usage, setbacks and noise studies, after a director raised concerns the city could end up serving a data center's water needs without ever approving the project.
• Helena, AL held a first reading on an ordinance imposing a 180-day pause on new gas stations, auto businesses and data centers along several highway corridors, giving the city time to review its zoning regulations.
• Vineland, NJ: A public meeting on the proposed 2.6 million-square-foot Data One facility drew such a crowd that officials moved it to the Landis Theater, where residents pressed leaders over noise, vibrations and an estimated 8 million gallons of daily water use.
• Douglas County, CO commissioners were set to vote Tuesday on a $19.3 million, 35-year property tax rebate for Flexential's 22.5-megawatt data center under construction in Parker.
• Lincolnton, NC City Council voted 3-1 to delay a decision on a proposed one-year moratorium, pushing the public hearing to September, after a developer argued a $600 million project at 232 Car Farm Road could ease the city's budget gap.
• Wrightstown, WI voters headed to the polls Tuesday for a nonbinding referendum on data center development, with a real estate firm exploring a potential village site.
• Cedar Rapids, IA is seeing record hotel tax revenue this year, with officials crediting part of a 40% jump to construction workers building the area's QTS and Google data centers.
• Stowe Township, PA officials moved to quash rumors of a planned data center at a 72-acre former industrial site, saying the property owner is only clearing land for future industrial buildings.
• Moffat County, CO commissioners weighed a possible moratorium without formally introducing or voting on one, as the commission chair defended her disclosure of prior conversations with companies eyeing the Trapper Mine area.
• Broken Bow, NE City Council heard the first reading of an ordinance requiring noise studies, decommissioning bonds equal to 150% of costs, and disclosure of foreign ownership for future data centers.
• Montgomery County, GA commissioners completed a first reading of an unusually strict ordinance requiring a 1,500-foot buffer, a 3-mile distance from water and farmland, and a sworn statement that applicants won't seek a tax abatement.
• Dallas, TX council members requested a public hearing on potential changes to the city's development code governing data centers, which are currently regulated under a by-right "communications exchange facility" classification with limited oversight.
• Elko, NV City Council approved a 10-year water rights agreement prioritizing reclaimed water for a golf course and ranch irrigation, after public concern the water could otherwise end up cooling a data center; officials said the timing was coincidental.
• Amherst County, VA updated its Freedom of Information Act policy after a surge in records requests tied to resident suspicions about a possible data center on cleared land off Dillard Road, even as officials maintain no project is planned.

📅 Upcoming Meetings

• Indianapolis, IN: Metropolitan Development Commission vote to formally ratify the moratorium, Aug. 19.
• Pulaski County, AR: Full Quorum Court vote on the new data center ordinance, Aug. 25.
• Lincolnton, NC: Rescheduled public hearing on the proposed moratorium, September.
• Fort Worth, TX: Data Center and Infrastructure Commission findings presented to council, Nov. 3.

👀 In case you missed it...

Read something interesting from this weekly briefing? You can read more about it below.

Data Centers: Daily Notes | August 13, 2026

Louisiana votes; Waxhaw approves moratorium; Dallas requests a public hearing; Elko; Bellevue; Marietta; Charlestown; Amherst County; Klickitat County; Grayslake. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsGenelaine Urbano

Data Centers: Daily Notes | August 12, 2026

Missouri lawmakers announced plans for AI and data center legislation in 2027; New Mexico Democratic lawmakers got a first hearing on a proposed statewide data center moratorium; Moffat County commissioners weighed a possible data center moratorium. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsGenelaine Urbano

Data Centers: Daily Notes | August 11, 2026

Coachella is advancing a proposed citywide ban on data centers; Douglas County is considering a $19.3 million, 35-year property tax rebate for Flexential’s 22.5-megawatt data center in Parker; Indianapolis is moving toward a data center moratorium through the end of 2027. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsGenelaine Urbano

Data Centers: Daily Notes | August 10, 2026

Wisconsin is seeing growing opposition to two proposed natural gas plants intended to power data centers; Cherokee Nation has banned hyperscale data centers on tribally owned and trust lands; Lincoln County is considering detailed data center regulations. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsGenelaine Urbano

🌟 Most Clicked Link

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How to Fight a Cloud: Communities across the country are trying to keep data centers out. A victory in Maryland shows a blueprint—but no guarantees.

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