New Albany residents weigh in on proposed data center moratorium
New Albany residents recently weighed in on a proposed one-year moratorium on data center construction, initiated by Mayor Jeff Gahan to review potential impacts. The City Planning Commission has issued a favorable recommendation for the ordinance. The New Albany City Council is set to vote on the proposed moratorium in July.
Residents of New Albany, Indiana, participated in a public hearing on June 23 to discuss a proposed moratorium on data center development within the city. The moratorium, put forth by Mayor Jeff Gahan on June 9, would temporarily halt new data center construction for up to one year, allowing city officials to thoroughly evaluate potential impacts on local infrastructure, utilities, environmental resources, and noise.
During the hearing, David McOwen, a New Albany resident with 19 years of experience in the data center industry in Chicago, emphasized that New Albany has a unique opportunity to implement proper precautions, ensuring that corporations, rather than residents, bear the burden of development. Other attendees voiced concerns about potential health impacts on residents in surrounding areas and the prospect of increasing energy prices. Following public comment, the New Albany City Planning Commission voted to send a "favorable recommendation" for the proposed ordinance to the New Albany City Council.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed moratorium in July. This local initiative coincides with a separate development in Louisville, where planning officials released draft regulations on the same day Mayor Gahan called for the moratorium. These Louisville regulations propose banning future data centers exceeding 500,000 square feet and imposing strict standards on smaller developments.