Jefferson County BZA unanimously affirms zoning administrator on Data Center use at Proving Ground

The Jefferson County Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously on May 20, 2026 to affirm the Zoning Administrator's February 25 determination that a proposed Data Center at the Jefferson County Proving Ground is sufficiently similar to permitted uses in the county's I-2 Heavy Industrial district. The board adopted the staff report findings and recorded five 'true' votes on each of the UDO criteria used in the evaluation.

The appeal had been filed by Debra Jones and was represented at the hearing by Laureen White; JPG Redevelopment LLC opposed the appeal and was represented by Andy Metzel. Zoning Administrator Josh Cline presented a summary of his staff report, explaining how he applied the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) criteria—intensity, character, accessory uses/structures, and intent—to reach his decision. County Attorney Pat Magrath told the board that the UDO, updated in 2023, prescribes the review process for unlisted uses and that the administrator followed the ordinance in his analysis. The board's recorded votes show David Ferguson, Larry Wynn, Kellen Cronen, Matt Todd and Fred Stilwell each answered 'true' to the findings of fact on intensity, character, accessory uses, and intent.

Procedurally, the appeal was filed on March 27, 2026 and corrected by an amendment on April 24, 2026 after an initial procedural error; the administrator's underlying determination dated February 25, 2026 was the subject of the appeal. After adopting the staff report, the board affirmed the Zoning Administrator's decision to classify the Data Center use as sufficiently similar to permitted I-2 uses. The board made several motions during the meeting (record acceptance of submitted emails/documents; close of the public hearing) that passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned following the vote; minutes were prepared by Secretary Taylor Baulac.