Data center regulations

A La Grange resident who championed the regulations questioned whether repeated ordinance renumberings violated the requirement to send amendments back to Planning Commission, and asked magistrates to put the county attorney's assurance on the record — while saying she hopes she's wrong and wants to celebrate the rules passing.

A Crestwood resident flagged drafting loopholes: the ordinance defines small/medium but never bans larger centers, 'one or more' criteria could let square footage or power exceed limits, and a GFA definition covering all buildings on a site is needed.

A resident argued the county doesn't need data centers at all and should simply ban them rather than regulate, citing his mother's failed fight against the Ford plant and developers' broken promises.

Rich called the regulations a generational decision, read the IPD intent language, dismissed the "large" relabeling as semantics, and asked the court to exclude large data centers from IPD.

Urged the commission to close every loophole now, warning that once a poorly regulated data center slips through, many residents and property values will suffer.

A 50-plus-year resident argued large data centers are heavy industrial uses that belong only in I-2, not IPD, and urged a motion to remove IPD.

Said the IPD allowance traces to developer marching orders revealed in a leaked recording, and asked that only small and medium data centers be allowed in IPD.

Opposed large data centers in IPD and questioned why notification distance (500 feet) is smaller than the setback distances.

Backed removing IPD for large data centers and explained setbacks should be measured from structures to adjacent property lines.

Warned the commission of legal liability if it treats a heavy-industrial use as permitted in IPD.

A software developer compared the draft to other jurisdictions and the Kentucky Resources Council model, urging removal of large data centers from IPD and stronger findings requirements.

Raised concerns about pollution, utility bills, cumulative square footage consistency, karst topography, wastewater treatment, and noise monitoring across the life of a facility.