Planning Commission recommends tighter restrictions on future data centers in Lexington

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission voted to recommend stricter zoning regulations for future data center developments, forwarding its proposal to the Urban County Council for final approval. The decision came after hours of public comment on Thursday, drawing a large crowd concerned about the proposed changes.

This discussion follows the Urban County Council's approval last month of a temporary moratorium on new data center construction. The pause was initiated after Dallas-based DartPoints purchased the former Lexmark Data Center for $29 million, intended to allow city leaders time to study the impacts of data centers and update local zoning.

The initial proposal aimed to ban large data centers (over 50,000 square feet with one or more electrical substations) from Fayette County, while allowing smaller facilities only with conditional use permits in specific zones. Developers would also need to address noise, water conservation, energy use, and power grid impacts.

The commission ultimately recommended even tighter restrictions, reducing the maximum data center size to 40,000 square feet, imposing a 25-megawatt electricity cap, and limiting noise to 30 decibels over 24 hours. They also suggested increasing buffer zones to 1,500 feet from residential areas and requiring closed-loop cooling systems for water conservation. Many residents expressed a desire for the city to slow down the process, citing insufficient information, though an attorney for DartPoints clarified the company's plans only involve renovating the existing Lexmark facility rather than building a massive hyperscale data center.