De Soto officials consider new data center noise regulations
De Soto city officials are initiating a process to develop new noise regulations for data centers, following resident concerns about two major projects by Beale Infrastructure and Digital Realty. The city council has approved a request for an independent consultant to evaluate existing rules, though some council members are concerned about the proposed timeline. Residents are actively voicing concerns about the potential health impacts of constant low-frequency noise from data centers.
De Soto, Kansas, city officials are moving forward with plans to establish new regulations addressing noise from data center operations, a response to growing concerns from residents. The initiative follows the commencement of construction by Beale Infrastructure on a $3 billion, nearly 3 million square foot data center campus, and a proposed nine-building, 1,400-acre campus by Digital Realty in the Ad Astra Enterprise Park. Residents have expressed significant opposition, specifically citing potential negative health impacts from constant, low-frequency noise emitted by data centers.
The De Soto City Council approved a request for an independent consultant to review current industrial noise ordinances and recommend amendments. This initial step aims to determine the necessity of changes before pursuing immediate ordinance amendments.
However, concerns were raised by some council members, including Mayor Rick Walker, regarding the proposed timeline for the study, which is not expected to be finalized until April of next year. Despite these timeline worries, Assistant City Administrator Brandon Mills stated efforts would be made to expedite the process.
City Attorney Patrick Reavey clarified that the city retains the authority to impose new rules, such as noise ordinances, at any time, requiring compliance from all businesses regardless of their construction progress, ensuring that even ongoing projects would need to adhere to future regulations.