South Bristol schedules public hearing on data center moratorium
The South Bristol Town Board scheduled an Oct. 12 public hearing on a proposed local law that would ban the establishment and operation of data centers and AI-computing facilities in the town. Officials say the measure is intended to protect the Canandaigua Lake watershed, local ecology and the town’s rural character from the facilities’ potential energy and water demands.
The South Bristol Town Board will hold a public hearing at Town Hall on Oct. 12 to gather input on a proposed local law that would impose a moratorium by banning data center and artificial-intelligence computing facilities in the town. Residents, business owners and other stakeholders are expected to comment on the potential effects of such developments.
Supervisor Lisa Moore said protecting the Canandaigua Lake watershed and South Bristol’s rural landscape is a central concern. The proposal comes amid scrutiny of data center projects elsewhere in the Finger Lakes, including developments near Cayuga Lake in Lansing and Seneca Lake in Torrey, with local leaders citing the facilities’ intensive energy and water use.