Commission begins policy discussion on data centers, urges careful rules on water, power and buffering

Grantsville city staff opened a broad discussion July 21 about whether to define and regulate data centers—described in staff materials as "advanced technology and data infrastructure centers"—and what performance standards the city would require if it chose to permit them in industrial areas.

Community Development Director Bill Cobay told commissioners the city currently has no specific code for data centers and the discussion is meant to decide whether to pursue a definition and limits. Bill said his draft would require large facilities to bring their own water and power capacity so they do not rely on the city’s existing water supply. He explained many modern data centers use glycol-based cooling systems that reduce ongoing water use compared with older systems, though initial fill requirements can be significant.

Commissioners raised siting, noise and light concerns, asked whether a center would bring many jobs, and discussed tax implications. Bill said data centers can be large but typically employ far fewer people than a distribution facility of similar size; staff noted the potential for significant assessed personal property value that would be taxed. Commissioners asked staff to research tax depreciation schedules and potential incentives. Several commissioners said the city should consider restricting data centers to appropriate manufacturing or industrial zones and adopt performance standards for noise, lighting, security, water, power and buffering.

Bill said staff will bring back proposed performance standards and suggested a follow-up meeting to review site-specific standards and examples from other Utah communities; staff also proposed a possible site visit to Delta to study a large data‑center deployment. No public hearing was held on the item; the commission framed the discussion as an early, proactive step to create clear local rules rather than react to applications.