Lexington will hold a special meeting in October to take more public comment on how data centers should be zoned and regulated in Fayette County.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council passed a moratorium on data center development in June. It was enacted in response to a plan by center company DartPoints, which acquired a north Lexington property formerly owned by Lexmark, to repurpose and expand a data center space.
The council also directed Lexington’s planning commission to draft a plan on how data centers are regulated.
A current version of that plan includes limiting the size of data centers to 40,000 square feet, setting a 25-megawatt cap on capacity and a 30-decibel noise limit. DartPoints originally had long-term plans to scale the operation up to a 50 megawatt capacity, double the cap the planning commission now recommends.
The planning commission recommendation also includes setbacks of 1,500 feet from sensitive areas, like neighborhoods, schools and hospitals, requirements for decommissioning and stormwater management and a ban on evaporation-based cooling systems to limit water use.
Data center projects have seen widespread pushback in communities across Kentucky, and nationwide. At a planning commission meeting last month, Lexington residents expressed concerns over energy use, pollution and the industry’s ties to artificial intelligence.
Residents who would like to share feedback in person can attend the special meeting, set for 5:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at Lexington’s government center at 200 E. Main St.
Lexington’s Division of Planning will also give a presentation on data centers to the urban county council’s General Government & Planning Committee Sept. 8. Residents can also submit feedback online through Engage Lexington.
