Planning commission pulls code revisions; county explores moratorium on data centers

Vice chair Commissioner Hatfield reported the planning commission rescinded a prior motion to forward code revisions and will return with a more complete document after further work. Much of the additional scrutiny centers on how to regulate data centers, where the commission cited unresolved questions about utility costs, water supply, discharge, and low‑decibel noise impacts that can affect residents miles away.

"One of the things we are looking into is putting at least formalizing a moratorium, rather than just leaving us without any guidance at all," Hatfield said, explaining that a temporary pause would give the commission time to draft rules that address water use and noise. Commissioners flagged the complexity of drafting ordinance language that would balance economic development with local environmental and quality‑of‑life concerns; no formal moratorium was adopted at this meeting, but staff and commissioners said they would continue work on the code revisions.