Planning director urges careful approach on data-center rules; seeks utility and noise experts

Planning Director Amanda Webb led an extended work session on data centers and battery-energy storage, presenting notes from a recent summit and urging the commission to define clear parameters before drafting regulations. Webb said jurisdictions must pick thresholds (for example by megawatts, acreage or load) to identify which facilities regulations should cover, and cautioned against inadvertently regulating small server rooms in hospitals or schools.

Webb also emphasized infrastructure considerations. She said developers are increasingly willing to pay for needed upgrades but warned that electrical and water infrastructure upgrades can be multi-year projects; she noted Evergy's regional loop work may run into 2028–2030. "They're your cloud computing. They're your AI," Webb said, summarizing the role these facilities play, and commissioners asked staff to invite utility and a noise specialists to a future meeting to advise on how to mitigate noise, lighting and water-use impacts. Webb recommended drafting regulations that include buffering, closed-loop cooling, noise limits and site-design standards tailored to thresholds the board selects.

Commissioners expressed skepticism about large hyperscale facilities locating in the county but asked staff to evaluate how smaller-scale or mid-sized facilities might be governed. Webb said she will continue to collect information, bring utility and noise experts, and prepare suggested language for the county's land-development regulations to ensure clear, enforceable standards.