Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County amends land‑use code to allow data centers and eases lot‑size limits for remainder parcels
Summary
Iron County adopted ordinance 2025‑5 to add a new data‑center use and related definitions and to allow sub‑minimum remainder parcels after road dedications in certain subdivisions.
Iron County commissioners approved Ordinance 2025‑5, a package of land‑use code changes that adds a new chapter defining and regulating data centers and that modifies subdivision rules to allow remainder parcels smaller than the zoning minimum after a planned road dedication.
What changed: The ordinance adds a definition and a new chapter (17.37) setting application requirements and mitigation standards for utility‑scale data centers and associated power plants. Data centers are listed as a conditional use in specified zones (RA‑20, light industrial and industrial zones for digital infrastructure; industrial and intensive agriculture and RA‑20 for associated on‑site power plants). The new language requires applications to describe power redundancy, potential noise and visual impacts, and mitigation measures. The ordinance also amends section 16.22.07 to allow a plat note recognizing remainder lots created by road‑dedication subdivisions as legal lots of record even if the remainder falls below the zone minimum.
Why it matters: County staff told commissioners recent developer interest and growth in local utility‑scale power (solar) made the county a more attractive place for data‑center investment; the new chapter is modeled on prior utility‑scale renewable chapters and is intended to allow county review (conditional use) and require mitigation where appropriate. The remainder‑lot change is intended to ease right‑of‑way acquisition for master‑planned roads such as the Cedar Valley Belt Route: it will avoid forcing the county to buy whole large parcels when a road takes only a fraction of a lot.
Vote: The commission approved the ordinance in a single vote after a staff presentation and a public hearing; staff reported the planning commission had recommended approval.
Ending: County staff will finalize application checklists and public‑notice procedures for data‑center conditional use permits and will apply the remainder‑lot note standard in upcoming road‑dedication plats.
