Burgin weighs planning and zoning move amid data center controversy
Burgin officials are considering annexing farmland for Panattoni Development’s proposed Project Bluegrass hyperscale data center, but the annexation has not yet occurred. Local opposition remains active, while Mercer County has adopted a 12-month data center moratorium and rejected a proposal allowing development near the E.W. Brown Generating Station.
Burgin, Kentucky, leaders are weighing the annexation of several hundred acres of farmland roughly three miles west of the city for Panattoni Development’s proposed Project Bluegrass hyperscale data center. The annexation remains unresolved, and the Burgin City Council is also considering joining the Mercer County Planning and Zoning system; the ordinance’s first reading passed with Mayor Joseph Monroe casting the tie-breaking vote.
The project has faced opposition from residents and the We Are Mercer County advocacy group, which cites potential farmland and infrastructure impacts. Mercer County Planning and Zoning previously enacted a 12-month moratorium on data centers and rejected a proposal that would have allowed data center development near the E.W. Brown Generating Station. Panattoni said it continues to advance the project through local processes, while opponents say resistance is growing.