Ashley Wilmes, executive director of the Kentucky Resources Council, said there is no statewide regulation of data centers. Instead, local governments are trying to figure out how to zone buildings that are part warehouse, part computer processing, and often part energy production facility. Wilmes explained a new zoning classification system developed by the Council can help counties prepare.
"We think that there needs to be a framework. That includes this new zoning classification plus a conditional use permit that really maximizes public input," Wilmes stressed.
The model ordinance addresses issues like noise pollution from computer cooling systems and backup power generation, the release of contaminated cooling water into the air, and energy and water consumption and the subsequent effects on ratepayers.
Wilmes noted in Simpson County, a proposal to build a new data center and on-site power generation facility was ushered in under a service establishment zoning code.
"That's really a classification that was meant for things like laundromats and hair salons, not a big data center," Wilmes asserted.
In Louisville, city leaders are considering an ordinance to create rules based on size. The proposed regulations would ban data centers exceeding 500,000 square feet and require a conditional use permit for smaller facilities.
Wilmes thinks such an approach is problematic because it does not consider intensity of use, which can generate considerable noise and pollution, and use more energy.
"Scrutiny based on square footage of the floor area instead of focusing on the on- and offsite impacts is just not the right way to go," Wilmes argued.
The final public hearing on Louisville's proposed ordinance took place earlier this week.
