The votes came during the second reading of both ordinances. One establishes a stand-alone zoning category for data centers and includes recommendations addressing facility size, energy and water use, and setbacks from certain buildings, including schools. The second updates language governing future data center development.
Council members also previously voted to extend a moratorium on permits, development plans and zone changes related to data centers through October 2027, giving the county additional time to refine its regulations.
Council member Emma Curtis, who supported both ordinances, called Thursday's votes a victory for the community.
“There is no land in Lexington that is designated for any data center usage, and anybody who wants to develop a data center would have to go through the process of a zone change which would go before the Planning Commission and then ultimately before the council to have final say,” Curtis said.
Council members also noted that the definition of a data center has evolved since the existing zoning regulations were written. Curtis said she looks forward to working with the Planning Commission to update the rules to reflect the term's current meaning.
“I’m really looking forward to creating a more collaborative and transparent process going forward that centers on the voices of Lexingtonians and not the voices of these predatory out-of-state corporations seeking to exploit us,” Curtis said.
With the moratorium extended through October 2027, Lexington-Fayette officials have additional time to consider how data centers should be regulated and what requirements future developments would need to meet.
