Opinion: Missouri Counties Face Limited Authority Over Proposed Data Center Projects Without Zoning
An opinion column examines how the absence of planning and zoning in Webster County, Missouri, limits officials' ability to respond to a proposed data center. It also discusses data center proposals in Nodaway County and a temporary moratorium under consideration in Stone County as examples of differing local regulatory approaches.
The column says Webster County commissioners learned about a proposed data center through Facebook and had no zoning system, application process or scheduled public hearing through which to review it. Residents asked for regulations, an ordinance or a moratorium, but commissioners indicated their authority was limited without planning and zoning in place.
The author contrasts Webster County with Stone County, where the planning and zoning commission considered a temporary moratorium on large energy projects and data centers while updating regulations. The column also references a more than $6 billion data center proposal and gas plant in unzoned Nodaway County, arguing that counties should adopt thoughtful land-use plans to guide industrial growth while protecting farmland and existing communities.