A proposed nine-month moratorium on data center applications in Tazewell County is headed to the county board.
The county's land use committee on Tuesday unanimously recommended approval of the moratorium and sent the matter to the Tazewell County Board for a final vote at its Oct. 28 meeting.
Last week, the county's Zoning Board of Appeals also unanimously recommended approving the moratorium.
Once the moratorium is in place, the land use committee will resume working with the county's community development department to craft a comprehensive data center ordinance.
Committee chair Russ Crawford, who is not running for re-election next month after more than 40 years on the board, had some advice regarding the ordinance for current and future committee members.
"Data centers aren't like anything this committee has ever worked on," said Crawford. "People are so emotional about them. So fearful. So negative."
For that reason, Crawford said, the path to putting together an ordinance has to be transparent and inclusive, and the ordinance must protect Tazewell County residents.
Several weeks ago, Crawford suggested creating a task force of data center experts, pro and con, to help put together the ordinance.
The idea was put in moth balls, he said, with talk of a moratorium, but "if you start hitting your head on a brick wall and it hurts, maybe it'll be time to kick the idea of a task force back out."
An early draft of the ordinance contains a ban on putting a data center in an area zoned agricultural or residential. A data center would only be allowed in an area zoned industrial.
Here's the wording of the proposed moratorium:
" ... a temporary nine-month moratorium is hereby established on the acceptance, processing, approval or issuance of any zoning, special use, building or other development approval for the establishment, construction, expansion or conversion of property for use as new data center as a principal use within the unincorporated areas of Tazewell County.
"During this time, the county will evaluate appropriate zoning districts and development standards for data centers including, but not limited to, setbacks, noise, lighting, energy and water consumption, cooling systems, electrical infrastructure, backup power generation, battery energy storage systems, environmental impacts, emergency response, traffic, landscaping, fencing, insurance and decommissioning."
The moratorium would remain in effect until next July 28, unless the board repeals or modifies it before then.
