Emporia Planning Commission Tables Data Center Zoning and Overlay Decisions
The Emporia Metropolitan Area Planning Commission tabled decisions on a proposed digital infrastructure overlay (DIO) and rezoning requests for the Flint Hills Digital Campus data center project after a six-hour meeting. Residents expressed both support for economic benefits and opposition due to environmental impacts, noise, and transparency concerns. The commission will revisit the matters next week after commissioners requested a clean copy of the amended DIO document.
The Emporia Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals held a special six-hour meeting, with nearly five hours dedicated to public hearings, concerning the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus data center project. Commissioners ultimately tabled rendering recommendations on a digital infrastructure overlay (DIO) and several rezoning requests until the following Tuesday, June 30.
During the public hearings, residents presented mixed views. Supporters highlighted potential economic benefits, including property tax incentives and job growth, while opponents voiced concerns about environmental impacts, noise pollution, and a perceived lack of transparency from city leadership regarding the project's end-user. Commissioner Aaron Larson noted environmental impacts were a significant concern from resident feedback, and Commissioner Denise Gilligan emphasized the importance of balancing all inputs.
Discussions also centered on the DIO's perceived lack of enforcement power for potential violations. While Commissioner Larson clarified the DIO's role as a tool for early information gathering rather than enforcement, commissioners did propose amendments to the document's section on development materials. Commissioner Gilligan, supported by Chairman Kenton Thomas, advocated for tabling the decisions to allow time to review a newly updated, "clean copy" of the DIO.
Regarding the rezoning of tracts 1-10 to light industrial and tract 11 to industrial flex, City Zoning Administrator Justin Givens confirmed that rezoning could be handled "piecemeal," although developers prefer simultaneous action. Chairman Thomas expressed a preference for considering tract 11 separately. The third agenda item, applying the DIO to the rezoned properties, was also postponed. All tabled matters are set to be reconsidered at a subsequent meeting on June 30, with no further public hearings for the DIO and rezoning requests.