Butler County hears request from townships to consider countywide moratorium on data centers

County staff updated commissioners on a request from Lumen/Lemmon Township and subsequent township responses regarding data center development. Staff reported Milford, Ross and Oxford townships had already replied affirmatively, and Hanover and Madison townships later indicated a majority of trustees would consent. The administrator said four of the six townships under county zoning administration had indicated interest and that any county moratorium would be enacted through the county zoning resolution for a fixed term (examples discussed: 6, 9, or 12 months). After the initial moratorium, the Board could consider revisions to the zoning text to either exclude data centers from unincorporated areas, permit them in a specific zoning district, or conditionally permit them with conditions.

Commissioners asked whether the county could apply a moratorium selectively to some townships; staff responded the county administers a single zoning resolution across the six unincorporated townships and that selective exclusion would likely not be permitted under that structure, though the administrator suggested exploring an overlay district as a possible, but legally cautious, alternative. The administrator recommended validating any approach with the prosecutor’s office and reputable zoning counsel and offered to circulate a draft moratorium and the townships’ written replies. No formal moratorium was adopted at this meeting; staff said the matter would be scheduled for future consideration if the Board wished to pursue it.