Portage planners tighten restrictions for data centers locations
The Portage Plan Commission voted to establish a new "technology center" zoning category, significantly tightening restrictions on where data centers can be located. New regulations include mandating closed-loop water systems, limiting building height and site coverage, and setting noise decibel limits. This move responds to community concerns and ensures future data center projects require City Council approval and adhere to stricter environmental and aesthetic standards.
The Portage Plan Commission has voted to implement a new "technology center" zoning category, designed to impose stricter regulations on data center locations and operations within the city. This decision means future data centers will require explicit City Council approval, moving beyond the previous framework where they could be built wherever warehouses were permitted, including business parks or light manufacturing zones.
Key new restrictions include mandatory closed-loop water systems for cooling servers, a maximum building height of 75 feet, and a site coverage limit of 70% for buildings on a data center campus. To mitigate visual and noise impacts on residential areas, the ordinance requires an eight-foot earthen berm with additional landscaping, a 25-foot wide buffer zone with specific tree requirements, and an eight-foot security fence. Noise emissions are capped at 65 decibels at the property line, with exceptions for emergencies.
The new regulations aim to address concerns raised by residents, who have pointed to issues in other communities like Chesterton and Valparaiso where data center proposals led to unanswered questions from developers. Residents like Michael Cooper expressed strong opposition to further data center expansion in Portage, fearing large-scale developments akin to those in Hobart and New Carlisle. Jessica Szabo also urged for even stricter measures, citing environmental and child protection concerns.
Mayor Austin Bonta noted that the new ordinance, which also defines a "hyperscale data center" (over 50 MW or 500,000 sq ft), will provide the city with more leverage to negotiate terms and conditions for new projects. Hyperscale data centers, in particular, will necessitate a planned development zoning category and additional public hearings and City Council approval, enhancing municipal control over their development.