Community opposition grows as Louisville weighs data center code changes

Louisville residents are intensifying their calls for more stringent regulations on hyperscale data centers, as the Louisville Metro Government continues to deliberate potential revisions to the city's land development code. A pro-democracy group, Sharp Objects 502, organized a protest outside the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, advocating for stronger limits on future data center projects in the community. Lindsay Gray of Sharp Objects 502 expressed concern that Louisville could become a "guinea pig" for the impacts of these facilities.

Public sentiment against data centers has been widely expressed across five public comment meetings held by Louisville Metro. A primary source of community frustration stems from a data center currently under construction on Camp Ground Road, a project by Poe Companies and Powerhouse Data Centers. Residents argue that this facility moved forward without adequate modern land development codes specifically addressing hyperscale operations. This project, situated in the Rubber Town area, is slated to occupy 150 acres, consume 400 megawatts of power, and begin operations in October.

City planning officials have clarified that the proposed code amendments, currently under review by the Planning Commission, would not retroactively apply to the Camp Ground Road data center, only impacting future developments. However, Sharp Objects 502 and other residents are pushing for these new restrictions to be applied retroactively, questioning why construction cannot be halted if the community overwhelmingly opposes it.

Following weeks of public input, the Louisville Metro Planning Commission will now deliberate on the proposed amendments. The commission may introduce further revisions before forwarding its recommendations to the planning and zoning commission for subsequent review. Poe Companies did not respond to Spectrum News 1's request for comment.