Norton planning commission weighs tighter zoning controls for data centers
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Summary
Commissioners discussed confining data centers to I-2 industrial districts and requiring conditional-use review, citing noise, water and power concerns; the chair will draft a short I-2 supplement and circulate it ahead of the next meeting.
The Norton Planning Commission on March 24, 2026 spent the bulk of its session discussing how the city should regulate proposed data centers, with members generally favoring placing such facilities in I-2 industrial districts and subjecting them to conditional-use review.
The chair said he reviewed the earlier PPG proposal and found it had “complied with all the requirements of that area,” but recommended stronger local controls. “On-site generation and closed-loop cooling systems and trying to put everything inside the building for noise control were really great ideas,” the chair said, urging standards that encourage those features.
Commissioner (Speaker 2) advocated explicitly for an I-2 designation and a conditional-use permit to ensure city review. “To me, it means that it must come to this board for a conditional use permit, kinda like a variance,” the commissioner said, adding that a permit can be a chance to refine site-specific conditions.
The discussion focused on practical controls rather than creating a new zoning category. Commissioners reviewed examples from other jurisdictions (cited: Chandler, Ariz.; Fairfax County, Va.; Cincinnati) and debated setbacks, noise limits, water use and requirements for on-site power. Participants cited setback figures found in sample ordinances ranging from 200 feet to 1,000 feet and noted such buffers can consume a large percentage of developable land.
On noise and air pollution, the chair recommended prohibiting diesel as a primary power source and favoring enclosed, soundproofed mechanical systems. Commissioners also discussed closed-loop cooling to reduce water demand and encouraged language requiring a pre- and post-construction noise study.
Members disagreed about grid capacity. One commissioner said Norton likely lacks capacity for a large data center; another noted the PPG site sits near major distribution lines and said electrical access may be adequate. The commission did not resolve technical power thresholds and acknowledged some statewide rulemaking is pending.
Tax and land-use trade-offs came up: commissioners quoted differing estimates for potential fiscal benefits and noted the PPG property is a brownfield that could be suitable if adequate buffering is required. One commissioner cited an estimate that a data center proposal could yield about $4.2 million a year in tax value and said earlier numbers suggested it might have funded roughly a third of the school budget.
Action: the chair volunteered to draft a short, editable supplement to the I-2 code — a two-to-four-page set of recommended requirements (setbacks, noise measurement and limits, landscaping/buffering, preferred cooling and power arrangements, and a suggested plan-review checklist) — and circulate it to commissioners and staff. The commission agreed to meet again at the next available date to continue the discussion.
Next step: staff will distribute the chair’s draft when available and the commission will resume zoning review at a subsequent meeting.
