Lawrence community members urge city commission to adopt moratorium on data centers
Lawrence community members urged the City Commission to enact a temporary moratorium on data center development, citing concerns over water and electricity strain, noise, and light pollution. The Commission responded by directing city staff to prepare a formal moratorium proposal for consideration within 30 days.
Public commenters in Lawrence, Kansas, advocated for a temporary moratorium on data center development during a recent City Commission meeting. Residents expressed concerns that large-scale data centers could burden local water and electricity supplies, generate noise and light pollution, and alter the character of nearby neighborhoods and farmland. Holly Krebs, lead organizer for the Coalition for Collaborative Governance, highlighted that the city's current land development code permits data centers in industrial zones without requiring specific commission approval or public hearings, leaving critical questions about environmental and community impacts unaddressed.
Krebs noted that Kansas's Senate Bill 98 has spurred increased interest in data center projects statewide, emphasizing the urgency for local action, especially since some neighboring counties have already implemented moratoriums. Dominique Sexton underscored that a moratorium would be a temporary, neutral measure, allowing city staff and commissioners time to gather necessary information and draft comprehensive regulations. Following public input, the Lawrence City Commission agreed to instruct city staff to present a formal moratorium proposal for their review within 30 days, indicating a step towards potentially pausing new data center projects to develop more robust oversight.