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Commission sets 750‑foot sensitive‑receptor setback as baseline during data center debate
Summary
Commissioners settled on a 750‑foot baseline setback from sensitive receptors for data centers (with no consensus for flexible reductions), discussed minimum lot sizes (25 acres) and small‑scale exceptions; staff will include fixed numeric setbacks in the final draft rather than deferring to other district rules.
The Planning Commission discussed dimensional standards for data centers and reached agreement on baseline numeric setbacks.
Staff proposed a 750‑foot setback from the nearest lot line of any sensitive receptor as the baseline; the draft allowed the board to reduce that to 500 feet or increase it further based on the community environmental impact analysis, but several commissioners preferred a straight 750‑foot standard to avoid legal variability. Staff also discussed a 25‑acre minimum lot size for most facilities with small‑scale exceptions (the small threshold was discussed at 5,000 sq ft/2 megawatts).
Commissioners directed staff to include the numeric setbacks explicitly in the ordinance text instead of deferring to other district references to avoid ambiguity and potential legal challenges.
