Whitley County to hold public listening session for proposed data center zoning regulations
Whitley County, Indiana, is holding a public listening session to gather community input on proposed zoning regulations for future data center developments. The Plan Commission is proactively exploring dedicated standards to balance economic growth with local land-use policies and utility capacities. No legislative action will be taken during this session, which is focused solely on collecting feedback.
The Whitley County Plan Commission in Indiana is actively seeking community input on potential zoning codes to accommodate future data center development within the county. Citing a significant increase in data center projects across Indiana, the commission aims to establish a regulatory framework that balances economic opportunities with localized land-use policies, utility capacities, and the preservation of the county's character.
A public listening session is scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, at 7 p.m. at the Whitley County Government Center, following the department's regular meeting. Officials emphasize that this session is for dialogue and feedback gathering only, with no voting or legislative actions planned.
The feedback collected during this session will guide commission members and planning staff in reviewing prospective framework guidelines. Residents, business owners, and local stakeholders are encouraged to attend, and written comments can also be submitted to the Columbia City/Whitley County Joint Planning & Building Department before July 6. This proactive approach follows other data center activities in the region, including Google's Fort Wayne data center and a rejected rezoning proposal in Kosciusko County.