Residents urge data‑center moratorium; board schedules public hearings and AWS withdraws site plan

A cluster of public commenters urged the Board of County Commissioners to adopt a moratorium on hyperscale data‑center development to allow time for study and regulation.

At the meeting staff announced that Amazon Data Services Inc. (AWS/Constellation) had formally withdrawn a conceptual site development plan the night before, and the board noted public hearings on a proposed six‑month moratorium are scheduled for Aug. 18. In public comment, longtime residents Carl Ellwein and Nancy Ellwein asked the board to vote for a moratorium to study potential health, environmental and quality‑of‑life impacts and to ensure the county has clear standards before large data‑center projects proceed. "Please vote yes for the moratorium August 18 to allow time to address potential health risks and quality of life matters," Carl Ellwein said. Nancy Ellwein said residents want the moratorium "in order to determine any negative consequences of building massive hyper scale data centers in our very fragile ecosystem."

Other commenters urged the board to strengthen any moratorium by defining its study scope, listing issues that will be examined (noise, water use, infrastructure needs, generator emissions and setbacks from sensitive uses), and allowing extensions if additional time is needed. Commissioners acknowledged the concerns and confirmed the Aug. 18 public hearings will include consideration of a temporary moratorium on on‑site plan approvals for data center development projects.

No regulatory changes were adopted at the Aug. 4 meeting; the Aug. 18 hearings will be the next formal opportunity for board action.