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Commission votes to send proposal making large IT/data centers a conditional use to public hearing
Summary
The commission amended and approved a staff proposal to treat large information‑technology/data center facilities as conditional uses, limiting automatic approval and allowing case‑by‑case review of impacts (power, water, traffic); the motion set a public hearing and will focus conditional use in industrial zones (as amended).
Commissioners discussed rising interest in large information‑technology and data‑center facilities and the potentially significant water and power demands those facilities can create. Staff noted the county’s current table allows such facilities in some zones without conditions and proposed making larger IT/data‑center projects a conditional use to ensure public review of impacts.
Debate focused on whether to regulate by use (information‑technology facility definition) or by impacts (thresholds for water or power use). Some commissioners favored an impact threshold (e.g., above certain water or power use), while others favored a use‑based approach so planning staff and the commission could require appropriate mitigation. After discussion, the commission voted to send a staff proposal forward for public hearings with a friendly amendment limiting the conditional‑use requirement to industrial zones (rather than industrial and commercial).
A motion to set the public hearing (for the commission's April meeting) and to send the proposed amendment forward to the county commissioners for their 30–45 day notice period passed. Commissioners asked staff to prepare clear definitions and to return with recommended standards to evaluate actual water, power and other impacts.
