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Aberdeen council adopts working timeline for data-center ordinance, schedules public input
Summary
Council adopted a working timeline for a potential data-center zoning ordinance, scheduling three stakeholder input sessions (industry, businesses, citizens) and planning commission and council public hearings ahead of a moratorium sunset in November.
City staff presented a working timeline to guide drafting and public input on a proposed data-center ordinance, and the council approved the schedule with one amendment to the order of public meetings.
"On August 17 ... that would be the first public input opportunity for data center representatives," said Ron, the staff member who outlined a sequence of industry, business and citizen sessions followed by staff reports and ordinance drafts. Ron noted that zoning changes require planning commission hearings and public-notice publication before council readings.
Council members debated whether citizens should comment before or after technical presentations. Councilman Johnson argued that citizens should hear technical information first to ask better-informed questions; another member favored citizens going earlier to surface concerns that industry responses could address. The council approved Johnson's amendment to switch the August 31 business-input meeting and the September 14 citizens meeting so citizens would attend on Sept. 14.
Staff said the timeline is intended to finish second reading before the moratorium sunsets on Nov. 18, 2026, but warned adoption timing may depend on planning commission recommendations and procedural requirements. The council asked staff to gather comparative research from other similarly sized municipalities and to brief the council outside of public meetings.
