Data Centers: Weekly Briefing // September 28 - October 1, 2026

📋 This Week's Decisions

Just Passed ✔️

Moratoriums Approved

• Warren County, OH: Commissioners unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on hyperscale data center development in county-controlled areas, pausing projects while an Ohio EPA and OKI water impact study, expected in November, is completed.

Regulations Passed

• Saginaw, MI: City Council unanimously approved a data center ordinance classifying facilities as special land uses in industrial districts, requiring detailed water, noise, heat and decommissioning reports and a 500-foot residential setback; the rules take effect Oct. 9.
• Lovejoy, GA: City officials approved an ordinance banning data center construction within city limits, following months of opposition to Stillwater Development's proposed 3.5 million-square-foot, 15-building campus near two schools.
• Edgewater, FL: City Council unanimously passed a permanent ban on data centers, AI data centers and cryptocurrency mining, with a ballot question also planned to add the same protections to the city charter ahead of the November election.

Projects Approved

• Cheyenne, WY: City Council voted 8-2 to approve annexing and zoning the 1,259-acre Cox Ranch property, clearing the way for SkyBox Data Centers and ViaWest Group to develop a facility there after developers addressed neighbor concerns over unused land and a family mausoleum on the site.
• Kline Township, PA: Supervisors voted unanimously to approve Amazon's proposed 350-acre data center campus near Route 309 and Interstate 81, calling for roughly 2 million square feet of data center structures, despite resident concerns about noise, blasting and water use; the township did add pre- and post-blasting survey conditions.

Projects Denied/Withdrawn

• Mercer County, KY: The Fiscal Court unanimously rejected proposed zoning regulations that would have allowed hyperscale data centers next to Kentucky Utilities' coal-fired E.W. Brown Generating Station, sending the measure back to committee; the county's existing one-year moratorium remains in effect since no replacement regulations were adopted.
• Palm Springs, CA: City Council voted to extend its moratorium on data center applications and permits through Aug. 25, 2028, a 22-month-and-15-day extension requiring a four-fifths vote, since the city's current code has no zoning standards, setbacks or noise rules for the facilities.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Pulaski County, AR: County Judge Barry Hyde vetoed new data center regulations the Quorum Court had passed 11-4 earlier this month, writing he doesn't believe the ordinance can be lawfully administered without exposing the county to legal risk; the ordinance's author says she'll seek an override vote.
• Osage Nation, OK: A congresswoman introduced legislation, ONCA 26-70, requiring tribal government entities to bring hyperscale data center proposals before the tribe's Congress before approving them on tribal territory, responding to ongoing talks between the Minerals Council and Google over the 827-acre "Project Spring" site in Sand Springs.
• St. Louis, MO: Under a new community benefit agreement, the city will independently analyze financial projections for TerraWatt's $3 billion Midtown data center and can fine the developer up to $15,000 for every $100,000 shortfall in promised tax revenue. The developer has since sued the city, arguing the requirements exceed its authority, while separate opponents have also sued to block the project.
• Saint Joseph, IN: A coalition of about 25 congregations called We Make Indiana is pressing Microsoft to negotiate a binding "Fair Share Agreement" tied to its planned 900-acre, $1 billion data center in Granger, asking the company to fund a community-needs pool worth 1-2% of the project's annual costs; Microsoft has so far offered $1 million in one-time nonprofit donations instead.
• Pine Island, MN: The proposed data center remains halted under a court order after the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy challenged the project's environmental impacts, with the next hearing set for Nov. 16; opponents held a weekend info session on health concerns while the legal fight continues.
• Washington County, MD officials outlined a multi-year timeline for developing new data center regulations, running through a June 2027 public hearing, while disputing an advocacy group's claims that undisclosed data center talks are tied to Hagerstown's pending annexation of the 171.88-acre Martin Farm property, with a hearing on that annexation set for Oct. 27.
• Glendale, AZ held a public hearing on a proposed 160-acre annexation for Project Eagle, a plan for three data centers and a gas generation plant near Luke Air Force Base, with a final decision set for Oct. 27; a nearby resident argued the proposed setbacks and walls are inadequate for a project of this scale.
• Madison, WI's planning department is developing a zoning framework that would allow smaller data centers in designated areas while capping building size at 100,000 square feet and excluding massive hyperscale campuses, with a formal introduction to Council expected in November and a final vote in January.
• Suffolk, VA's Planning Commission voted 8-0 to recommend prohibiting data centers as a primary use in every city zoning district, which would block new standalone projects outright if City Council adopts it Oct. 21; the measure would also close a loophole letting developers classify a data center as a warehouse.
• Mahomet, IL officials announced preliminary talks with developer Clean Cloud Energy about a possible data center campus on rural land west of Champaign, including draft language for a development agreement, though no formal proposal has been submitted.
• Orangetown, NY: A congressman is demanding that Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York Power Authority disclose the value of discounted hydropower that three of the four data centers in Orangeburg receive through a state economic development program, after NYPA declined to release the figures, citing contractual confidentiality.
• Tulare County, CA supervisors voted 3-2 to adopt a formal position opposing most data center development countywide, including outside their own jurisdiction, alongside the previously reported 10-month moratorium extension.
• Jasper County, SC Council unanimously approved second reading of its proposed one-year moratorium for unincorporated areas, with a third and final reading set for the next council meeting.
• Buffalo, NY's Common Council took up its proposed two-year data center moratorium Tuesday, with Mayor Sean Ryan saying the measure differs from the state's own pause and officials working to make sure it doesn't inadvertently affect existing computing operations at institutions like Roswell Park and the University at Buffalo.
• Sioux County, IA supervisors held a public hearing on a proposed ordinance amendment setting higher standards for data center applications, including independent studies and closed-loop cooling; a second reading follows Oct. 13 and a third and final reading Oct. 27.
• Evanston, IL's city manager said a proposed small-scale data center doesn't appear to qualify as a permitted use under current zoning, creating an effective "de facto moratorium" while the city gathers more information and considers a formal pause.
• Fairfield County, SC officials released a detailed timeline for its 12-month data center moratorium, scheduling three public town halls and a Planning Commission hearing in March ahead of permanent zoning changes expected by June.
• Jesup, GA commissioners voted 4-2 to approve first reading of an ordinance permitting data centers as a conditional use in light industrial zones, despite resident calls for a full moratorium instead; a second reading is set for Oct. 6.
• Manitowoc County, WI finalized a 24-page draft ordinance capping data center development at under 500 acres, with no more than 100 acres convertible from agricultural use, ahead of a County Board hearing and vote.
• Georgetown, KY City Council voted unanimously to direct legal counsel to draft an ordinance banning data centers, particularly targeting large-scale "mega" facilities, following neighboring Scott County's extension of its own moratorium.
• East Buffalo Township, PA supervisors will hold a public hearing Oct. 12 on a new ordinance restricting data centers to the industrial zoning district, with final approval possible the same night.
• Center Point, IA officials began drafting a data center ordinance using neighboring Linn and Johnson counties' regulations as models, acting proactively even though no developer has approached the town.

📅 Upcoming Meetings

• Jesup, GA: Second reading of the data center ordinance, Oct. 6.
• East Buffalo Township, PA: Public hearing on the new ordinance, Oct. 12.
• Sioux County, IA: Second reading of the ordinance amendment, Oct. 13; third and final reading, Oct. 27.
• Suffolk, VA: City Council vote on the data center prohibition, Oct. 21.
• Glendale, AZ: Final decision on the Project Eagle annexation, Oct. 27.
• Washington County, MD: Hagerstown's hearing on the Martin Farm annexation, Oct. 27.
• Pine Island, MN: Next court hearing on the legal challenge, Nov. 16.

👀 In case you missed it...

An Introductory Guide to Data Center Zoning

Learn how local governments effectively use zoning codes to determine where data centers can be constructed, the required standards they must meet, and examples of locations with implemented data center zoning.

Strisker - Short-Term Rental and Data Center regulationsEm Dela Cruz

A Guide to Understanding Data Center Bans

Learn what a data center ban is, its importance, examples, and the consequences of having permanent bans for data center projects.

Strisker - Short-Term Rental and Data Center regulationsEm Dela Cruz

☀️ Most Clicked Link

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Social Listening📱: Facebook

Where do neighbors, community groups, and local officials go to express their concerns? On Facebook. Strisker's Facebook Signal monitors public pages and community discussions to identify proposed ordinances, zoning disputes, and upcoming hearings, all of which can be filtered by location.

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