Planning and Zoning Commission to discuss data centers during their next meeting

The Hillsborough Planning and Zoning Commission in Texas is scheduled to hold a meeting on Monday, where they will discuss proposed changes to zoning rules concerning future data centers. This follows concerns raised by local residents and business owners about the potential impact of these facilities. David Bar, owner of Ultraviolet Boba Tea, expressed his desire for the city to implement stricter regulations, citing potential issues like noise and light pollution. He highlighted studies indicating how continuous noise and light can disturb humans, describing the potential impact as "kind of insane." The commission's agenda includes a deliberation to potentially remove a 2007 zoning ordinance and introduce new supplemental conditions. Reinhardt, the planning director of Hillsborough, stated that the current ordinance requires a specific agreement with data center developers, but new rules could automatically involve the Planning and Zoning Commission in every data center request. Proposed supplemental conditions include a setback requirement of 1,000 feet from property lines for data centers. The public meeting is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m. at City Hall.