Dayton City Plan Board recommends moratorium on data centers

The Dayton City Plan Board has formally recommended a 180-day moratorium on data center developments within the city. The recommendation, driven by the increasing presence of data centers across Ohio and the Miami Valley, aims to provide the city with time to review and update its zoning regulations, which were not designed to address modern data center facilities. Tony Kroeger, the planning division manager, emphasized that the moratorium is a preventative measure, not a response to an imminent data center application in Dayton. Kroeger noted that the current zoning code, last updated in 2006, does not adequately regulate land uses for data centers. The pause would also allow city staff to research the pros, cons, and potential impacts of data centers and determine if suitable sites even exist within Dayton. The recommendation will now go before the Dayton City Commissioners for consideration and a vote at their meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 22.