Commission weighs tighter rules for data centers and a ban on standalone gas stations; recommends 90‑day moratorium extension to council

At its July 8 meeting the Troy Planning Commission continued review of a draft Unified Development Code (UDC) that would tighten standards for data centers, change how wireless facilities are managed, revise sign rules, and significantly restrict standalone gas stations.

Staff outlined several key edits to the draft UDC. For data centers, staff said the code would require plan‑development (PD) review — a rezoning plus public‑hearing process that typically takes four to six months — and would impose a minimum 100‑foot setback from property lines, a 40‑foot landscaped buffer with a berm and one tree per 25 feet (minimum 8 feet at planting), and mandatory noise and vibration mitigation plans requiring an acoustic engineer before, during and after construction. "We require these to go through a plan development... this is a 4 to 6 month process that requires a rezoning and a public hearing," the staff member said.

On wireless facilities, staff said the UDC was edited to ensure compliance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and that small cells and alternative tower structures that impact the right‑of‑way were removed from the UDC and remain regulated under the city’s ordinance (section 9.21).

The code also proposes sign‑code adjustments (changing a 30‑day permit term to 28 days and allowing permits to be split into four 7‑day increments), adds nonconforming signs into the UDC with a new prohibition on issuing new sign permits while an illegal sign remains in use, and includes an exemption process for "iconic signs" of historic or community significance.

Gas stations drew the most sustained discussion. Staff presented an inventory showing about 20 gas stations occupying roughly 22 acres, and about 12 vacant B‑2 parcels that total the same acreage; two parcels account for much of that vacant acreage. The draft UDC would no longer permit gas stations as a standalone principal use. Instead, gas stations would be allowed only as accessory uses to a grocery or general‑merchandise retailer of at least 50,000 square feet, would face limits on the number of pumps, would be required to integrate canopy and kiosk architecture with the main building, and would not be allowed standalone signage, vehicle repair or washing.

With the current moratorium on standalone gas stations set to expire Aug. 28–29, staff moved to recommend City Council extend Ordinance O‑19‑26 for an additional 90 days to Nov. 27, 2026, to provide time for the UDC process. Commissioners debated whether the 50,000‑square‑foot threshold was too restrictive or whether alternative metrics (spacing, road classification, minimum acreage) would better achieve the commission’s goals. Staff said council could add or modify standards during rezoning and noted that limited developable land inside city limits complicates some spacing and acreage approaches.

Commissioners also raised a timing concern: if the moratorium lapses before the new UDC is adopted and effective, applicants who file after moratorium expiry could be grandfathered under the existing code. Staff advised that pending projects without permits could be grandfathered depending on the new UDC’s effective date. Several commissioners asked staff to present alternative parameters and options at the July 22 public‑input session.

Before adjourning, staff confirmed the July 22 meeting would dedicate structured time to public comment on hot topics — data centers, gas stations, tattoo parlors and other items — and commissioners agreed to set a speaker time limit to keep the meeting manageable.