County commissioners expand zoning regs for data centers
Lincoln County, Nebraska, commissioners have adopted expanded zoning regulations for data centers, replacing a single page of rules with 10 detailed pages. The new regulations, influenced by a citizen's group, address water and electricity use, noise levels, road upkeep, and visual screening. The planning commission will continue to review further suggested revisions from the community.
The Lincoln County Commissioners in Nebraska unanimously adopted 10 pages of expanded zoning regulations for data centers on Monday, significantly updating previous single-page rules. This update was prompted by the prospect of hyper-scale data center developments spanning 1,000-2,000 acres.
A citizen's group, led by Muriel Clark of Sutherland, was instrumental in advocating for tougher standards, clearer measurements, and more inspections. Their suggestions resulted in additions to the regulations, which now cover standards for water and electric use, noise levels, road upkeep, emergency access, decommissioning, subdued lighting, and visual screening. The commissioners also instructed the planning commission to continue reviewing the group's 42 pages of suggested revisions.
The new regulations allow smaller ancillary data centers (using 10% or less of a building's floor space or 2,500 sq. ft.) by right in agriculture, commercial, and industrial zones without additional permits. Larger data centers, however, must comply with the new 10-page provisions and potential additional conditions. Twenty people spoke at the public hearing, all urging tougher regulations, with one suggesting the appointment of a compliance officer.