Lexington council wants public input on data centers. How to weigh in

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council wants to hear from the public on data center regulations.

The council launched an online forum and information hub on data center developments on its public input platform, Engage Lexington. The move comes after council voted unanimously and without discussion June 9 to approve a moratorium on data center developments and their related approvals and permits in Fayette County until Oct. 31.

Council Member Liz Sheehan, chair of the General Government and Planning Committee and sponsor of the data center moratorium, said she thinks residents want more regulation of data centers, especially since currently the merged government’s zoning ordinances are largely silent on rules specific to data centers.

“Lexington residents have been clear: hyperscale data centers require, at the bare minimum, thorough and deliberate scrutiny to determine how we can best protect our community’s signature industries and safeguard the wellbeing and health of our neighbors,” Sheehan said. “We have heard from countless community members and are committed to maintaining a digital space where people can share their feedback with us as we continue to do our work.”

Counties across Kentucky have instituted similar moratoriums in recent months after the number of applications for data center projects exploded, in part due to the General Assembly financially incentivizing them through tax breaks and more.

Data centers, some of which power artificial intelligence, are controversial across urban and rural communities due to the large amounts of electricity and water required to operate them. There is worry the cost for infrastructure — especially if the center never gets built or is only operational for a short time — would be passed on to residents of a community, rather than picked up by the developer.

DartPoints, a data center developer, purchased a former Lexmark data center in mid-May for $29 million. The group cannot move forward with any changes to the property because it did not file necessary applications prior to the June 9 moratorium, Lexington city officials said last week.

Residents are encouraged to register for Engage Lexington and join the online discussion. Future updates, draft ordinance language, and opportunities for in-person engagements will be shared via the online platform.

The council has also instructed the Planning Commission to draft a zoning ordinance text amendment to define data centers and give more guidance on where they can be located. Planning staff and the commission have 60 days from June 9 to send the amendment back to council for approval.

At its last meeting, the commission said it would hear public comment and take potential action on the amendment at its July 30 meeting.

Public feedback received through Engage Lexington will be made available to council members as they continue to review local policies around data centers. More information is available at Engage.LexingtonKY.Gov/DataCenters.

Beth Musgrave

Lexington Herald-Leader

Beth Musgrave has covered government and politics for the Herald-Leader for more than a decade. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has worked as a reporter in Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois and Washington D.C. Support my work with a digital subscription

Piper Hansen

Lexington Herald-Leader

502-648-6715

Piper Hansen is a local business and regional economic development reporter at the Lexington Herald-Leader. She previously covered similar topics and housing in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Before that, Hansen wrote about state government and politics in Arizona.