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Hutchinson council starts expedited zoning process for large data centers and battery storage
Summary
Council approved initiating temporary text amendments and a parallel permanent process, referring interim definitions and conditional‑use requirements for large data centers and utility‑scale battery systems to the planning commission for expedited review; staff emphasized public‑safety, interconnection and decommissioning standards.
The Hutchinson City Council voted May 25 to begin a two‑track zoning process aimed at giving the city clearer rules for large‑scale data centers and utility‑scale battery energy storage systems.
Assistant City Attorney Cody Smith told council that the city’s existing code lacks tailored definitions and standards for those uses and that a temporary text amendment would add interim definitions and require conditional‑use permitting for projects outside of industrial areas. Smith described the approach as legally stronger than an ad‑hoc moratorium because it preserves notice, public hearings, and the planning‑commission recommendation process required under Kansas law.
The temporary measures in Exhibit A would: add interim definitions; treat large data centers and utility‑scale batteries as conditional uses in most zoning districts (prohibiting them in residential zones); require supplemental submittals for conditional‑use permits including operator information, electrical demand and interconnection plans, backup generation and fuel storage plans, cooling methods, noise and hazardous‑materials handling, emergency‑response coordination, and decommissioning plans.
Smith said the measure does not itself approve, deny, or prohibit projects; rather it creates an expedited, defensible review pathway while staff and the planning commission work on permanent code language. He recommended referring the temporary amendment to planning for an expedited hearing (June 9 planning commission, with council action possible June 16). Council voted to initiate the temporary and permanent text‑amendment processes and refer Exhibit A for expedited consideration.
What this means: Projects that qualify as large‑scale data centers or utility‑scale battery systems will face conditional‑use review with detailed submittal requirements and public notice, while the city develops permanent regulations. The process preserves the city’s discretion to approve or deny projects based on planning and technical criteria.
