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Planning commission backs data‑center PUDs with technical limits after heavy public concern
Summary
The Oklahoma City Planning Commission recommended two PUD rezonings for hyperscale data centers (PUD 21‑05 and PUD 21‑24) to City Council with technical evaluations limiting noise, potable‑water cooling, generator siting and requiring coordination with utilities after extended public comment on water, power and health impacts.
The Oklahoma City Planning Commission on a (recommendation) moved the proposed PUD rezoning for a large data‑center campus near I‑40 (PUD 21‑05 and companion PUD 21‑24) toward City Council consideration, attaching a set of technical evaluations aimed at limiting noise, protecting water resources and requiring utility coordination.
Applicant David Box and Ryan Sanders of BeltLine Energy described the project as a data center designed for high‑performance computing and artificial‑intelligence workloads. Sanders said the site is located on a resilient node of the local energy grid and that the facility would be built with “landscape buffers, setbacks and reduced noise allowances” compared with typical industrial zoning. “A data center is, at a high level, a piece of digital infrastructure that processes digital compute,” Sanders told commissioners.
Neighbors and environmental advocates offered lengthy, sometimes emotional public comment. Residents and groups warned the projects could strain water supplies, increase…
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