Planning commission favors data center pause; moratorium heads to commissioners Tuesday
The Madison County Planning Commission voted 8-1 to recommend a six-month moratorium on data centers in the county, with the measure now heading to the county commissioners for a final vote. This decision follows significant public discussion and amid ongoing efforts to develop a new unified development ordinance and an emerging technologies ordinance to govern data centers.
The Madison County Planning Commission has given a favorable recommendation for a six-month moratorium on data center development within the county. The decision came after over two hours of discussion and an 8-1 vote, with Commissioner Jerry Alexander casting the lone dissenting vote.
The motion, introduced by Commissioner Lindsay Brown, highlighted the desire to protect Madison County's valuable farmland. The moratorium proposal now advances to the Madison County commissioners for a final approval vote, tentatively scheduled for their June 16 meeting.
The meeting saw a standing-room-only crowd, with many residents livestreaming the proceedings and expressing interest in the issue. This comes as speculation about potential data center proposals in the county continues to grow. Concurrently, county planning officials are working on a new unified development ordinance and an emerging technologies ordinance specifically designed to regulate data centers.
Madison County would join other Indiana counties like White and Marshall in enacting temporary pauses on data center development, while nearby Henry County recently approved a data center proposal, and Hancock County is considering a data center overlay district.