Sioux City’s Planning and Zoning Commission to discuss data centers
Sioux City’s Planning and Zoning Commission will discuss creating zoning regulations for data centers and gather public input before drafting an ordinance amendment. The discussion comes amid regional data center opposition and enacted moratoriums in several Northwest Iowa counties, as well as interest from Google and MidAmerican Energy in a potential Salix project.
Sioux City’s Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to discuss potential data center regulations and hear resident input before city staff drafts an amendment to the zoning ordinance. The current ordinance has no land-use category specifically covering data centers, and the commission is expected to review a draft later in October before sending a recommendation to the Sioux City City Council in November.
The proposed local rules follow broader data center debates across Northwest Iowa. Moratoriums were passed in Sioux, Woodbury and Emmet counties, while Salix residents protested a proposed project on about 900 acres of annexed farmland. MidAmerican Energy and Google have expressed interest in a future Salix data center.