Louisville Metro Council advances data center moratorium

The Louisville Metro Council appears set to approve a six-month moratorium on new data center construction, with a final vote by the full council expected next week. This follows a 7-1 vote by the council's Planning and Zoning Committee to advance the proposal, an abrupt shift after the measure had been delayed in committee for nearly a year.

District 15 Democrat Jennifer Chappell, who authored the moratorium, noted a change in political will, possibly influenced by community advocacy. The proposed moratorium would temporarily bar city planners from approving new data centers, providing time for the Metro Council to establish comprehensive regulations. These regulations, developed by Mayor Craig Greenberg's administration, include a ban on hyperscale data centers over 500,000 square feet and restrictions on other developments to industrial areas in Jefferson County.

Mayor Craig Greenberg, who initially viewed the moratorium as a "temporary fix," has now publicly called for its passage, emphasizing the importance of reviewing new applications under updated standards. This move comes amid significant public pressure from Louisville residents, who have expressed overwhelmingly negative views on data centers, and activists from groups like No Data Center 502. Council Member Shameka Parrish-Wright, a co-sponsor of the ordinance, questioned the timing of the Mayor's support, suggesting it was a response to mounting public criticism.

Several other local governments in Kentucky, including Bell County, Bullitt County, Daviess County, and the City of London, have already enacted data center moratoriums, as has Jeffersonville, Indiana, across the Ohio River. The Louisville moratorium, if passed, would not affect a hyperscale data center already under construction near Shively, which was approved under previous zoning rules.