If a data center is built in Tazewell County, it could only be in an area zoned industrial.
That was the key recommendation from the Tazewell County Board land use committee's initial dive into a proposed data center ordinance, which ultimately must be approved by the full board.
A first draft of the ordinance — handed out to committee members just before the start of Tuesday's meeting — had also allowed a data center in an area zoned agricultural.
Committee chair Russ Crawford recommended removing agricultural, and committee members quickly agreed.
The ordinance also requires approval of a special use by the board for data center construction.
"What we're trying to do with this ordinance is provide maximum protection within the law for Tazewell County residents and our neighbors when it comes to data centers," Crawford said. "We're at the starting point right now. We haven't reached the end point."
The starting point was provided by Jackie Workman, the county's community development administrator. She wrote the first draft of the ordinance, which she called very basic.
A final draft is expected to be on the agenda of the county board's Sept. 30 meeting.
The county has jurisdiction only over the unincorporated portions of its nearly 660-square-mile area. The 17 communities within the county have their own rules and regulations.
The recent sale of a former Caterpillar site outside Delavan in an unincorporated area to Milwaukee-based Phoenix Investors has some county residents worried about a data center being built there.
Delavan Mayor Adam White was given assurances by Phoenix Investors that a data center is not currently planned on the approximately 100-acre site, according to news reports.
Land use committee member Eugene Glueck came to Tuesday's meeting with a list of recommendations for the county's data center ordinance, focusing on water protection, preventing rising power costs for residents, and dealing with noise pollution.
"Water protection is No. 1," he said. "I'd like to see a requirement that a data center must use water from a sewer treatment plant for cooling, and put the water back in the same condition it got it."
As for noise pollution, Glueck would like the ordinance to require that ambient noise heard by residents before the construction of a nearby data center must be the same post-construction.
The county does not have noise regulations on its books.
"We've heard about the constant humming noise caused by data centers that has caused mental issues in some people hearing it," Glueck said.
Committee member Eric Schmidgall said he wants the county board to impose a data center moratorium until the ordinance is approved.
That's not needed, according to Workman and Assistant State's Attorney Matt Drake.
They said a county ordinance and state law prevent applications for a data center from being accepted by the county until the data center ordinance is in place.
"No applications for a data center have been submitted to us," Workman said.
Among the areas covered by the first draft of the data center ordinance are design standards, permitting and construction, construction and installation, operations and non-conforming uses and structures.
The ordinance's purpose is "to provide a uniform and comprehensive set of standards for the location and installation of a data center. The intent of these regulations is to protect the public health, safety and community welfare without unduly restricting the development of a data center."
The land use committee and the county's Zoning Board Appeals will work on the data center ordinance until it goes to the county board for a vote. The next committee meeting is Aug. 18.
