5 things to know about College Township’s zoning updates for potential data centers

College Township Council unanimously approved zoning changes earlier this month that would give the township more oversight over any future AI data center proposals. The move is a preemptive response to a state bill that could limit local municipalities’ ability to review data center development plans.

FULL STORY: College Township council updates zoning to address potential data centers

Here are five key takeaways:

• No data centers have been proposed for College Township yet. The zoning updates are solely preparatory, add a definition of “data center” and classify it as a conditional use within the township’s rural residential zoning district.
• The changes respond to state Senate Bill 939, which would cut data center development plan review periods from 90 days to 30 days in areas where they’re a permitted use. Assistant Township Manager Mike Bloom said the bill would “hamstring” local review abilities.
• By classifying data centers as a conditional use, any future proposals would get a 120-day review period under the bill, and the township could attach more conditions to those plans.
• College Township Principal Planner Lindsay Schoch said the updates would strategically limit any data center plan submissions to an area near the Oak Hall Quarry.
• Ferguson Township may follow suit. Planning Commission member Bill Keough said he and fellow member Lewis Steinberg recommended at their Feb. 9 meeting that their township staff begin working on similar zoning amendments “immediately.”

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.