Warren County fiscal court approves first reading of strict data‑center zoning text amendments after public comments

Warren County Fiscal Court gave first reading on June 11 to ordinance 2616, a set of zoning text amendments that narrow where and how data centers may be sited in Bowling Green and county unincorporated areas. The court’s action, taken on a motion by Squire Aldridge and second by Squire Williams, passed on a unanimous roll call.

The amendments were presented to the court by planning staff and the judge, who said the changes are intended to protect residents and infrastructure while avoiding the legal and economic pitfalls of a short-term moratorium. The judge described the package as aiming to be “the gold standard of ordinances for data centers in America,” and said the goal was to require clear siting and decommissioning safeguards rather than an across‑the‑board ban.

Why it mattered: county officials said the standards are designed to prevent projects that would harm water supplies, strain electrical infrastructure or reduce quality of life. Key provisions described during the presentation include large property‑line and residential buffers (examples given: a 500‑foot setback from property lines and a 1,500‑foot buffer from homes and schools), street‑facing design requirements, rules to limit visible industrial character, and mandatory utility‑infrastructure sign‑offs. Planning staff and utility partners said upgrades required to serve a data center would be paid by the project, not by local ratepayers.

Utility and environmental safeguards: speakers from the Warren County Water District described closed‑loop cooling systems and explained that closed‑loop projects would still require state Division of Water permitting and local pre‑treatment approval before any discharge. A representative of Warner Electric noted that very large loads (discussed as those above about 5 megawatts) trigger system‑impact studies and that customers typically bear upgrade costs. Court materials and presenters also emphasized mandatory decommissioning plans and bonds sized to cover removal and remediation costs if a facility closed.

Public comment and debate: dozens of residents spoke during public comment. Supporters of the ordinance said comprehensive zoning is a legally durable way to limit inappropriate projects, while opponents and concerned residents urged more time and independent cumulative impact studies. Concerns raised included noise and vibration near residential areas, groundwater and sinkhole risks in some neighborhoods, light pollution, emergency generator noise and diesel storage, the limited number of local onsite jobs relative to the square footage of some data centers, and the adequacy of closed‑loop water systems. One resident urged the court not to approve future projects without independent environmental and water studies.

Procedure and next steps: the court approved first reading of ordinance 2616; two readings are required for final adoption. The judge and planning staff said the approvals now in place legally narrow where data centers may locate and add permit and utility sign‑off requirements that a developer would have to satisfy before construction.

Votes at a glance: first reading of zoning ordinance text amendments (ordinance 2616) — motion by Squire Aldridge, second by Squire Williams; roll call: Esquire Lawrence — yes; Esquire Aldridge — yes; Esquire Lassley — yes; Esquire Cummings — yes; Esquire Williams — yes; (clerk recorded unanimous first‑reading approval). Other routine items approved during the session included adoption of the annual budget and appropriations (ordinance 2614) and resolution 2605 awarding a non‑exclusive cable franchise to Spectrum Mid‑America LLC.