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Planning commission asks staff to clarify "data center" definition in county code
Summary
After commissioners raised concern that the existing code could be read to permit large server farms in commercial zones, the commission voted unanimously to direct staff to draft a clear definition of data centers and recommend code changes.
Commissioners discussed a discrepancy in the county code that lists "data processing services" as permitted in some commercial zones and worried that the language could be read to allow large data centers unintentionally.
One commissioner said the provision predated modern large-scale server facilities and suggested adding a definition distinguishing ordinary business servers from large data centers. Concerns cited included scale, utility demands and potential land-use impacts.
Member Keane moved and member Maloney seconded a directive that staff research and return with a clear definition of "data center" and recommended code changes; the motion carried unanimously. Staff was asked to propose whether a definition should carve out small, incidental server rooms from larger server farms and to recommend whether large data centers should be removed from permitted-use tables or placed under conditional-use review.
The commission stressed they were not banning data services outright but sought clarity so that ordinary businesses with on-site servers are not constrained while large commercial server farms would be subject to explicit review.
