Residents urge Oldham County to narrow proposed data-center zoning after first reading
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Summary
At a Jan. 6 first reading of a proposed ordinance on hyperscale data centers, residents urged removing IPD (Industrial Park District) from the allowed zones and raised concerns about noise, water use and scale. County staff said more detail will be reviewed at a Jan. 20 hearing.
Judge David Vogel opened a first reading on Jan. 6 of Ordinance 26-920-1, a proposed amendment to Oldham County’s comprehensive zoning ordinance that would add a new section to regulate hyperscale data centers. Ryan Fisher, county planning staff, said the planning commission approved the draft in October and that a red-line copy showing their changes will be provided to magistrates ahead of the next hearing.
The ordinance drew an extended public-comment period focused on one issue: whether large hyperscale data centers should be allowed in IPD (Industrial Park District) zoning. Don Erler, an Oldham County resident, asked the court to remove IPD from the list of allowable districts, saying, “IPD should be removed because it only includes light industrial I1 uses.” Multiple residents echoed that view and urged the county to treat hyperscale facilities as heavy industrial uses.
Why it matters: zoning designations determine where large facilities locate and what protections neighbors get. Several speakers warned that hyperscale centers — defined in the draft as roughly 50 megawatts or about 100,000 square feet — are on a scale that will change traffic, landscape and local services.
Residents raised concrete technical and lifestyle concerns. Nathan Oberg told the court the ordinance’s large-scale definition — “50 megawatts, roughly twice the amount of power the whole city of LaGrange uses combined” — and the 100,000-square-foot threshold make the facilities fundamentally incompatible with mixed-use IPD districts. Don Chesak, a 27-acre beekeeper near Oldham Reserve, said a proposed data center within a mile of his property would split his farm and harm his livelihood. Karen (Kay) Grant cited environmental exposures, water usage and infrastructure costs.
Planning staff said the ordinance has been under development for months and that specific amendments made by the planning commission will be reviewed in detail at the Jan. 20 hearing. Magistrate discussion touched on the statutory amendment process; Magistrate Lykins and another magistrate cited KRS 67.077, which governs ordinance amendments and requires written amendments in many cases.
Judge Vogel responded to concerns about specific sites by saying there is no current plan to put a data center in Oldham Reserve and that location decisions would follow additional review. The ordinance face a second reading and public hearing on Jan. 20, when the court may consider written amendments and a vote.
Planning and next steps: county staff will provide the red-line and clean copies of the ordinance to magistrates and the planning commission’s minutes will be part of the Jan. 20 package. The court did not take a vote on the ordinance during the first reading.
