Warrenton planning commission backs new rules for data centers, sends ordinance changes to aldermen

The Warrenton City Planning and Zoning Commission voted 10–0 on Dec. 4 to forward a package of zoning amendments intended to regulate data centers, including new rules on standby-generator setbacks, fuel storage and measurable noise limits.

The commission opened the public hearing on amendments to Chapter 405 and related appendices before City Attorney (voice 5) summarized a draft ordinance that would place data centers as a conditional use in M1 and M2 industrial zones and require separate conditional-use permits. “So right now, currently, data centers have no regulations in the city of Warren,” the City Attorney said, explaining that the draft adds standards for fuel storage, monitoring and minimum setbacks.

Residents and commissioners pressed for clearer, enforceable standards. Tim Carpenter, a nearby resident, urged the commission to consider environmental risks: “My concern would be…if there was a leak going into the lake,” he said, asking whether the map showed fuel-storage locations and how runoff would be mitigated.

Several commission members criticized a 25-foot maximum setback for standby generators in the draft. One commissioner urged a far larger buffer: “I would like to push that to about 200 feet minimum,” the commissioner said, while others replied that 200 feet could be excessive for some industrial parcels and proposed a tiered structure tied to adjacent uses.

Commission discussion settled around a compromise to add a tiered setback framework (smaller setbacks for industrial-adjacent sites, larger setbacks where the development adjoins residential uses) and to specify measurable boundary-line decibel limits rather than only vague language about minimizing noise. Commissioners also asked that the ordinance require inspection logs and notification to the city when deficiencies are found, rather than rely solely on owner self-inspection.

City staff and a staff engineer noted that state and federal agencies set many technical standards for tanks and fuel containment; a city staff member said such fuel-storage systems typically must meet Missouri DNR and EPA containment rules and that the city could require documentation and notification consistent with those authorities.

After further refinements — including removing the word “complete” from the emergency definition and allowing fuel deliveries during declared emergencies — Commissioner Cornell moved and Commissioner Cullum seconded a motion to approve forwarding the amended package with the commission’s recommendations to the Board of Aldermen. The roll-call vote was 10–0. The commission said the matter will be considered by the Board of Aldermen on Dec. 16.

What happens next: The Board of Aldermen will review the amendments and any additional public input; the ordinance language discussed by the commission would become enforceable only if and when the aldermen adopt it. The commission noted that site-plan review and individual conditional-use permits would allow additional site-specific conditions (for example, noise-mitigation measures) when a developer submits a plan.

Provenance: This article draws on the commission’s public hearing and discussion (topic introduced at SEG 007 and concluded at SEG 1768).