Hutchinson Planning Commission to review proposed data center regulations Tuesday
The Hutchinson Planning Commission will review proposed permanent regulations governing data centers, including limits on where large facilities can be built, cooling-system requirements, noise standards and environmental reporting. The rules are intended to address concerns about water use, electricity demand and neighborhood impacts, with a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 10 and City Council consideration expected Dec. 1.
The Hutchinson Planning Commission is preparing permanent zoning regulations for data centers after public input and stakeholder discussions. The proposal would limit large-scale facilities to the Kansas Enterprise Industrial Park and Kimbell Industrial Park, while smaller facilities could require conditional use permits in other industrial districts.
Draft rules would require water-conservation measures, favor air-cooled or closed-loop systems, prohibit open-loop evaporative cooling as the primary method, and impose noise, generator-testing, environmental-reporting and decommissioning requirements. The commission still must resolve issues including annual water-use limits and financial guarantees, and will recommend revisions before a Nov. 10 public hearing. The Hutchinson City Council is expected to consider the regulations Dec. 1; officials said no data center applications or permits had been filed in the city as of October.