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Residents urge caution on data‑center zoning, citing water, power and waste concerns
Summary
Public commenters warned commissioners that proposed data‑center allowances raise unresolved questions about water consumption, electricity capacity, battery storage and long‑term community impacts; callers urged staff and commissioners to engage subject‑matter experts before moving forward.
Multiple public commenters used the Planning Commission public‑comment period to press for more study before the county allows data centers or materially expands industrial zoning. David Burry said zoning changes near town centers could sharply increase residential capacity ("That has now been changed, proposed to 1 dwelling unit per 1 acre") and asked staff for calculations of infrastructure and budget impacts.
Teresa Roman said the water demands and other operational details of data centers require careful review: "It's roughly $4,455,000 gallons of water day to cool data center depending on its size," she told commissioners, and she raised questions about battery disposal, noise and backup‑fuel risks. Bob Estes (Friends of Hunting Creek) warned the commission that modern large data centers are technically complex, rapidly growing in scale and can buy up local utility capacity, sometimes creating competition for electricity and water with other users. Commenters urged the county to bring in technical experts and produce a complete cost‑benefit analysis before adopting zoning language that would facilitate such facilities.
