SEIRPC hopes to have data center ordinance by year end
Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission plans to help Lee County develop a dedicated ordinance regulating data centers, beginning with a proposed project near Fort Madison. Draft language is expected in November, followed by public hearings and a potential Board of Supervisors vote in December.
Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission Assistant Director Zach James told Lee County officials that data centers should be regulated through a standalone ordinance rather than being added to rules governing solar, wind and battery-storage facilities. The immediate focus is a proposed data center project on the east side of Fort Madison that spans the city and county.
The City of Fort Madison is also developing high-impact development regulations and a two-mile territorial jurisdiction ordinance. SEIRPC plans to research regulations used elsewhere, finalize draft county ordinances in November and seek public approval in December. Officials said the rules should limit impacts on nearby property owners while addressing economic benefits and property-tax treatment; separate regulations for small modular reactors will take longer to develop.