McKenzie Planning Commission to Take on Data Center Discussion

McKENZIE (August 26) — The McKenzie Planning Commission met Wednesday to begin preliminary discussions on possible zoning regulations for data centers.

City Planner Donny Bunton presented an outline of a possible ordinance that, if the Commission deems it necessary, could serve as the basis for developing a more comprehensive plan.

The Commission agreed there may be a need for a zoning ordinance but wanted more time to educate itself on data centers and further review the proposed ordinance outline. The discussion was tabled until the Commission’s Wednesday, September 23, meeting at 3:30 p.m. Representatives from the McKenzie Industrial Board, Carroll County Electric and McKenzie Water Department will be asked to attend and provide input on the matter.

The proposed ordinance addresses several key areas, including the definition of data centers, where they could be located, lot coverage, buffers, decibel levels and a requirement that a utility impact analysis be submitted with the site plan.

Under the proposed definition, a data center is a facility or group of facilities used primarily for the processing, storage, hosting, transmission, management or distribution of digital data through servers, networking equipment, telecommunications equipment and associated mechanical and electrical infrastructure.

The definition would not include routine server rooms located on the same property and incidental to a business, school, hospital or government office. Those would be considered accessory uses.

Under the proposal, data centers would only be allowed in M-2 (Heavy Industrial) districts.

A data center could include server rooms and server buildings, co-location facilities, enterprise data centers, cryptocurrency mining facilities, cloud computing facilities, supporting offices, cooling systems, backup power systems and telecommunications infrastructure.

The proposed ordinance also establishes a separate definition for a hyperscale data center. A hyperscale data center would be one designed and constructed for large-scale cloud computing, artificial intelligence computing, high-performance computing or internet services that meets one or more of the following criteria: more than 100,000 square feet of gross floor area, more than 50 megawatts of electrical demand or more than 20 acres of land.

The minimum lot area for a regular data center would be five acres, while a hyperscale data center would require at least 20 acres.

The proposed buffer and separation standards state that data center buildings must be located at least 500 feet from any existing residential dwelling. Hyperscale data center buildings would be required to be at least 1,000 feet from an existing residential dwelling.

Buffers of 100 feet for data centers and 200 feet for hyperscale data centers would also be required between any structure on the subject property and the nearest property line. The buffers would have to be designed to achieve a minimum opacity of 80 percent within five years.

Noise generated by data centers and hyperscale data centers could not exceed 50 dBA during daytime hours and 40 dBA during nighttime hours when measured at any residential property line. For comparison, a standard gas-powered lawn mower produces approximately 88 to 96 dBA.

A required noise study would include an acoustical analysis prepared by a qualified engineer documenting that the required noise standards would be met. The study would evaluate cooling systems, chillers, transformers, backup generators and other mechanical equipment.

The proposed ordinance would also require a utility impact analysis addressing electrical demand, water demand, wastewater impact, confirmation of utility provider capacity and an infrastructure improvement plan, if required.