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Residents urge Opelika council to consider moratorium on data centers, raise smart-growth and equity concerns
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Opelika City Council to impose a moratorium on data centers and pursue a comprehensive smart-growth study, citing concerns about water, power, public health and impacts on disadvantaged communities; the council did not take action on a moratorium at the meeting.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the May 19 meeting to press the Opelika City Council to consider a moratorium on data centers and to request a comprehensive smart-growth review before any agreements are signed.
Tessa Talson of 1022 Renfro asked the council to add a data-center moratorium to the city’s existing moratorium policy so the city can gather data on water, power and air-quality impacts and protect neighbors near proposed sites. She said data centers “consume more power and more water” and urged parameters to protect people who live closest to any facility.
Dustin Howard, who identified professional and personal ties to disadvantaged communities, argued data centers often target rural and economically vulnerable areas and urged the council to consider structural determinants of health when making siting decisions. Howard said a majority of incoming data centers in 2026 were targeting rural areas and asked the council to protect small communities from disproportionate impacts.
Selen Talison asked whether Opelika has a comprehensive smart-growth plan covering commercial as well as residential development, warned that public opposition to data centers nationally ranges widely and urged transparency—specifically whether nondisclosure agreements are being used during early-stage talks. She said the city has been approached about data centers, according to public comment.
Other commenters raised separate neighborhood concerns: Harry Aerson described a short-lived stop sign and a tractor-trailer skid incident on Lake County Road and urged safety improvements and lower speed limits; Maddie Clark asked the city to address boarded houses in her neighborhood and to add reflectors near a local lake where a drowning occurred.
No council motion or formal vote on a data-center moratorium occurred during the meeting; commenters asked staff and elected officials to study the issues and return recommendations to the council.
