Mercer County residents frustrated over a proposed ordinance related to potential data center development

The Mercer County Joint Planning and Zoning Commission convened a special meeting to address community frustrations over a proposed ordinance concerning data center development. The proposal would restrict data centers to an IT zoning district, limit their total footprint to 1,500 acres, and require a minimum 750-foot buffer from residential areas. Henry Smith, the planning commission's lawyer, indicated the commission's efforts to balance developer and community interests by regulating issues like traffic and noise. However, opponents, including attorney Hank Graddy representing "We Are Mercer County," are calling for a moratorium, arguing the process is being rushed. Graddy expressed significant concerns about the ordinance's lack of protection for agricultural land and its failure to adequately address potential human health impacts for residents near future facilities. Community members and local representatives echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the irreversible effects the project could have on Mercer County's historic, geological, agricultural, and biological resources. The Fiscal Court is scheduled to vote on the ordinance.