Edgerton becomes the second Johnson County city to deny a data center moratorium
The Edgerton City Council denied a proposed six-month moratorium on data center development, despite local resident concerns and initial council support. This decision follows a similar denial in Gardner and comes as Dubai-based DAMAC Digital's $860 million project faces review. Meanwhile, the issue is gaining traction in state politics, with several gubernatorial candidates advocating for a statewide moratorium.
The Edgerton City Council recently voted 3-2 to deny a six-month moratorium on data center projects, a decision that has sparked concern among residents. Despite early support from the City Council and a strong push from the community regarding potential environmental and health impacts, the temporary ban failed to pass.
The proposed moratorium would not have stopped the $860 million data center project by Dubai-based developer DAMAC Digital, which was denied by the Planning Commission on June 9 but still awaits final approval from the City Council. However, it would have prevented any new rezoning applications or site plan submissions for future data center projects in Edgerton for six months, allowing city staff to study the issues and recommend revisions to development codes.
Edgerton is the second city in western Johnson County to deny such a moratorium, following a similar rejection in Gardner. Residents in nearby Spring Hill, Gardner, and De Soto share concerns about data center expansion in their rural communities, advocating for a pause to better understand the risks. De Soto is also exploring new regulations on noise levels and setbacks for data centers.
The local pushback is now influencing state politics, with four out of ten gubernatorial candidates supporting a statewide moratorium on data center construction ahead of the August Primary Election, highlighting the growing divisiveness of the issue.