P&Z Commission recommends lowering special use permit threshold for data center projects
Marshalltown's Planning and Zoning Commission recommended requiring data center projects on sites of at least 40 acres or with buildings taller than one story to undergo a special use permit review. The recommendation will go to the City Council after commissioners and residents debated how data centers should be classified and regulated.
Marshalltown's Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend that data centers within the city's overlay district require a special use permit if they occupy 40 acres or more or include more than one story. The process would involve a public hearing and commission recommendation before a final decision by the Board of Adjustment, while projects outside the overlay district would continue to require special use permits under proposed regulations.
The commission revised the proposal after debate over whether facility size should be measured by acreage, building area or electrical capacity. Residents and some officials called for stronger review, public input and restrictions on hyperscale facilities, while others, including Commissioner Steve Valbracht and Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President John Hall, questioned why data centers should face requirements not imposed on other industries. The recommendation passed 4-2 with one abstention and is scheduled for consideration by the City Council on Nov. 9.