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Russellville mayor says city lacks land for large data centers, council moves to set guardrails
Summary
Mayor told a packed work session the city likely lacks sufficient land inside city limits for a typical large data center and reminded residents the city lost extraterritorial jurisdiction in 2025; council announced a six-month moratorium and plans an ad hoc committee to draft zoning guardrails.
Russellville Mayor opened a work session by telling residents the meeting was intended to let the council set “guardrails” for potential data-center development and that the city can’t simply ban businesses without legal cause. “I still stand by that there is not enough land to build a typical data center in the city limits no matter what someone says on Facebook,” he said and offered to meet individually with residents to review maps.
The mayor explained the city lost its extraterritorial jurisdiction last year and therefore has no control over the county’s land-use decisions beyond the city limits. He said the council already has approved a six-month moratorium while the city investigates zoning and other regulatory options, and he urged residents to apply to the upcoming ad hoc committee. “Thus, your council has called a public meeting to be able to put parameters and guardrails in place so that you can have protections,” the mayor said. The council also voted to allow public comment during this work session.
