Lexington council moves to extend data center moratorium until 2027. What to know
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted unanimously to extend Lexington’s data center moratorium through Oct. 31, 2027, though the extension still requires final approval. The council also sent proposed zoning rules for data centers back to the planning commission after residents opposed the rules and raised concerns about environmental impacts and neighborhood inequities.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted Oct. 6 to advance an extension of the city’s data center moratorium, which is scheduled to expire Oct. 31. The proposed extension would keep the pause in place through Oct. 31, 2027, with a first reading scheduled for Oct. 8 and a likely final vote on Oct. 22.
The council also returned a proposed zoning text amendment to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission. The amendment could establish a separate zone for data centers. More than 60 people spoke during a nearly four-hour meeting, with many residents urging officials to maintain the moratorium and citing environmental concerns, energy impacts and the concentration of industrial uses in minority and working-class neighborhoods. The moratorium has placed a DartPoints data center project at the Lexmark campus on hold, while business and University of Kentucky representatives argued that smaller data centers and server facilities support local services and industries.