Dickinson County To Weigh Limits for Data Centers in Rural Areas

Dickinson County planning officials are continuing work on possible zoning rules for data centers, including whether smaller facilities should be allowed as conditional uses while large or hyperscale projects are discouraged.

Draft language under discussion would define a data center as one or more buildings on a single lot with no more than 20,000 cumulative square feet, primarily used to house networked computer servers. County staff said energy consumption may be as important as building size and that water and energy impacts could be evaluated when individual projects are reviewed.

Staff wrote that large and hyperscale data centers may conflict with county goals to protect rural character, soil, water and wildlife habitat. The Planning Commission is expected to discuss the proposal and receive public comment at its 7 p.m. Aug. 20 meeting at the Dickinson County Courthouse.

No zoning amendment had been approved in the published meeting packet. Commissioners may give staff further direction or table the issue, and an environmental specialist is expected to present at a later meeting.