The vote followed an hour of public comment from residents who urged council members to take a stronger stance against data center development, citing concerns about energy consumption, air quality and environmental impacts.
“Everyone in this city is making it very clear that we don’t want these data centers in Lexington now or ever,” resident Colin Harris said.
Council Member Emma Curtis moved to suspend the rules and advance the moratorium extension to a second reading during the same meeting. She said the issue was personal, citing her father’s death from cancer following exposure to unregulated materials.
Council Member Liz Sheehan opposed fast-tracking the measure, arguing that the usual two-reading process provides greater transparency and more opportunities for public input. She was the only member to vote against suspending the rules, which passed 10-1. The moratorium extension then passed unanimously.
Two additional proposals related to data center development did not advance. One would establish a zoning category specifically for data centers, while the other would revise language in the original zoning text amendment to strengthen future regulation. The zoning proposal failed to receive a second, and the motion to advance the regulatory language failed 6-5.
Curtis said she supports addressing residents’ concerns, including those involving Dart Points, a company seeking to build a data center at the Lexmark site. She said the company had requested a private meeting with her, but she did not consider that appropriate.
The two remaining proposals are scheduled to return to the council for second readings Oct. 22.
Curtis said she expects work on the proposals to begin immediately if they pass.
