Lexington draft rules would ban major data centers countywide

Lexington is moving from a temporary pause on data centers to a draft zoning rewrite that could sharply narrow where the facilities can go and what developers must prove before moving ahead.

The moratorium bought time

On June 9, the Urban County Council unanimously approved a moratorium that pauses zone map amendments tied to proposed data centers, development-plan review for data centers in any zone, and permits, approvals and authorizations needed to operate them. The resolution says the pause runs through October 31, 2026.

The idea is to give council and planning staff time to examine data-center impacts and consider ordinance changes before final rules are adopted.

What the draft would do

Planning staff’s draft text amendment, PLN-ZOTA-26-00008, would create new data-center regulations. The city’s zoning page lists the case as a text amendment to create regulations pertaining to data center uses.

According to the Herald-Leader, the draft would prohibit major data centers, defined as more than 50,000 square feet, anywhere in Fayette County, while allowing minor data centers only in warehouse-business and light-industrial zones. The draft also bars data centers in agricultural zones and limits them near homes, schools and child-care sites.

For minor projects, applicants would need to submit a water-consumption plan, an energy-consumption plan, a transmission-line impact assessment and a noise plan. The draft also includes a 1,000-foot setback from residential zones and schools, along with 50-foot landscaping buffers.

The noise rules would keep generators and other power equipment enclosed and cap continuous sound at 65 decibels during the day and 55 decibels at night. Generator use would be limited to backup and emergency operation.

What residents should watch next

This is still draft policy, not final zoning law. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on July 30 before the proposal goes back to council for final review.

For Lexington homeowners, renters, business owners and property owners, the practical question is where smaller facilities might fit, how much power and water they would need and how tightly the city wants to control their footprint.

Sources

• Engage Lexington — Data Centers in Lexington
• City of Lexington — Current zoning ordinance text amendment applications
• Lexington Legistar — June 9 moratorium resolution
• Lexington Herald-Leader — report on draft data-center rules
• WKYT — proposed zoning changes would majorly limit data centers