Murray officials are proposing new zoning regulations specifically geared toward potential future data center projects looking to develop in the far western Kentucky city.
At a special-called meeting Tuesday, the City of Murray’s Planning Commission voted to advance the proposed data center regulations to a public hearing. That vote was the first step in the bureaucratic process the city is required to follow for these changes to Murray’s zoning ordinances to be adopted.
While there are currently no data center projects in the works in the Calloway County community, Murray also has no zoning language specifically addressing the energy-guzzling facilities that are being developed across the country. City Administrator Jim Osborne said officials wanted to get ahead of any developments eyeing the area.
“When we become aware that there's trends in the communities around us or other areas regarding businesses or commercial folks coming in, we want to get on the front end of that,” Osborne said. “The whole point of this is to get on the front end of this and put some regulations in so that we can provide some protection for the community as we move forward.”
Under the proposal, Murray’s Director of Planning Carol Downey told the commission that data centers could only be built in parts of the city that are zoned as industrial districts. Additionally, those projects would have to be built at least 1,500 feet away from residential, commercial and agricultural districts – as well as from “sensitive use properties” like preschools, daycares, nursing homes, churches, parks, hospitals and agricultural operations. Data centers would also have to be set back at least 500 feet from all other existing buildings, Downey said.
Kentucky utility groups have reported hearing interest from over two dozen projects looking to build data centers in the commonwealth. One development in Ashland is anticipated to use 1 gigawatt of power over time – which is more than the average combined annual usage of 800,000 homes.
The planning commission is holding a public hearing on June 9 at 4 p.m. to give community members the opportunity to comment on the proposed data center regulations.
After the public comment opportunity, the planning commission can then vote to recommend the proposed zoning changes to Murray’s city council. The elected body would then need to hold two readings at separate meetings of an ordinance establishing those data center zoning rules before the regulations could be adopted. The city council typically meets once per month – with its next meeting scheduled for June 11.
The proposed zoning regulation changes were not made publicly available ahead of Tuesday’s meeting. However, Downey shared a copy of the proposal with WKMS on Wednesday – noting that the document “is an evolving draft and remains subject to revision.”
This article has been updated to include a link to Murray’s proposed data center zoning regulations that were discussed at a planning commission meeting on June 2.
