Reno County Planning Commission declines to recommend data center, BESS regulations
The Reno County Planning Commission voted against formally requesting county commissioners to develop proactive regulations for data centers and battery energy storage systems. The discussion focused on whether to establish standards before development proposals are submitted or to continue using the conditional-use permit process. Although the motion failed 2-5, the concerns raised will be forwarded to the County Commission.
The Reno County Planning Commission, during its August meeting, voted against formally recommending that county commissioners develop proactive regulations for data centers and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The motion, which sought to address development in the county's zoned areas, failed with a 2-5 vote. Planning Commissioners Nisly and Strand supported the motion, while Schafer, Seltzer, Macklin, Martin, and Goertzen voted against it.
The central debate revolved around whether Reno County should establish specific development standards for data centers and BESS before receiving proposals, or if it should continue to evaluate each project individually through the existing conditional-use permit process. County planning staff noted that both data centers and BESS are currently classified as unspecified land uses, meaning any proposed project within zoned areas would necessitate a conditional-use permit and a public hearing. Current County Commission policy views the conditional-use permit process as sufficient, pending further direction.
Proponents of proactive regulations argued that clear standards would provide developers with essential requirements upfront and allow the county to study potential issues like noise, energy demand, and water use in advance, drawing comparisons to the county's past experience with commercial wind-energy projects. Conversely, some commissioners believed the Planning Commission should await a clear directive from the County Commission before initiating the regulation development process. While the motion failed, the discussion and raised concerns will be documented in the meeting minutes for the County Commission's review.