This week’s Zoning In follows data center disputes from council chambers to the ballot box. Ohio voters will decide 21 local data center ballot issues, while San Diego unanimously approved a development moratorium and protests forced Hermantown to postpone votes on Google’s proposed campus. In Wisconsin, a $15 billion project is dividing Port Washington over competing visions of the community’s future.
Additionally, bipartisan organizing, growing youth involvement and calls for enforceable community benefits underscore the challenge for developers: promises of investment carry more weight when communities help shape what comes next.
Wisconsin’s $15 Billion Data Center Project Divides Port Washington
A massive data center campus under construction in Port Washington has sparked protests, lawsuits and a widening divide over the community’s future. Supporters tout tax revenue and economic investment, while neighbors question the project’s scale, transparency and impact on their quality of life. NPR’s reporting captures the trust gap emerging as AI infrastructure transforms smaller communities.
Mahomet Ends Data Center Talks, but Transparency Dispute Continues
Mahomet, Illinois, has ended discussions with Clean Cloud Energy, but residents are still demanding answers about how the proposal was handled. Previously undisclosed talks and a nondisclosure agreement have prompted calls for restrictions on municipal NDAs and stronger aquifer protections. Village staff will work with a trustee on potential resolutions as officials confront lingering public distrust.
Southeast Georgia Communities Move to Set Rules Before Data Centers Arrive
Growing developer interest is prompting southeast Georgia communities to adopt moratoriums and strengthen zoning protections. Liberty County and Pembroke have enacted temporary pauses, while Bulloch County has formed a citizen advisory committee to help shape regulations. Statesboro’s ordinance requires public review, water management plans, noise studies and decommissioning provisions. With concerns crossing municipal boundaries, advocates are also calling for stronger regional planning and clearer statewide safeguards.
Gen Z Organizers Bring New Energy to Data Center Opposition
Young activists are becoming an organizing force in data center disputes, connecting development concerns to housing affordability, utility bills and environmental impacts. Fortune cites an Annenberg survey finding that 70% of adults under 30 oppose new data centers in their area. Groups such as Voters of Tomorrow are mobilizing through schools, campuses and local government meetings, showing that familiarity with AI does not necessarily translate into support for nearby infrastructure.
Who Benefits When AI Data Centers Come to Town?
On NPR’s Fresh Air, Brookings scholar Darrell West examines how data center disputes are becoming a bipartisan fight over affordability, transparency and local control. He argues that communities should negotiate enforceable agreements addressing energy costs, water use, jobs and potential facility closures. West also emphasizes that moratoriums should give communities time to establish meaningful oversight and determine whether proposed projects meet local needs.
Colorado Mayor Makes the Case for Local Data Center Moratoriums
In an opinion piece, Lochbuie Mayor Jamie Jeffery explains why the Colorado town adopted a five-year moratorium on AI data centers, citing water scarcity, noise and limited permanent employment. She also describes concerns about a proposal in neighboring Brighton, where the developer withdrew its application following opposition. Jeffery urges communities to use local restrictions to protect resources while broader oversight remains limited.
Rural Alabama Residents Weigh Data Center Investment Against Health Concerns
A proposed hyperscale campus in Lowndes County, Alabama, is raising concerns about generator emissions, noise and proximity to homes in a community already facing significant health challenges. Developer Cloverleaf projects 225 permanent jobs and substantial tax revenue that could support schools and wastewater infrastructure. With no county zoning laws, residents are questioning whether those benefits justify the potential impacts on their daily lives.
New Election Dashboard Tracks Candidates’ Positions on Data Centers
The NAACP and environmental organization Young, Gifted & Green have launched “Climate on Your Ballot,” a dashboard connecting voters with candidates’ environmental positions and nearby data center projects. The platform lets users review responses and request answers from candidates who have not participated. Organizers aim to give communities—particularly Black neighborhoods facing pollution and affordability pressures—a stronger voice before development decisions are made.
Mark Cuban Urges Communities to Secure Protections Before Approving Data Centers
Mark Cuban is warning local governments against complex, opaque data center agreements that leave communities exposed to costs and unfulfilled promises. He argues that developer commitments should include measurable limits, independent oversight, financial backing and remedies for violations. His central message: negotiate enforceable protections before granting approvals and giving up critical bargaining power.
Imperial County Data Center Fight Mobilizes Voters Across Party Lines
Opposition to a proposed nearly 1-million-square-foot data center in Imperial County, California, has grown into a bipartisan organizing effort targeting incumbents, supporting new candidates and pursuing a supervisor recall. The project remains stalled following a court ruling requiring environmental review, while neighboring Calexico has approved a data center ban. Residents’ concerns over power, public health and transparency are driving political engagement that now extends beyond the original development dispute.
Protests Force Hermantown to Postpone Google Data Center Vote
Two hours of chanting and protests forced Hermantown, Minnesota, officials to postpone votes on Google’s proposed 1.7 million-square-foot campus. The disruption came despite Google dropping its pursuit of up to $80 million in property tax breaks and offering groundwater protections and a decommissioning plan. Supporters emphasize construction jobs and tax revenue, while opponents continue to challenge environmental impacts and secrecy surrounding the project’s early development.
San Diego Unanimously Approves Data Center Moratorium
San Diego’s City Council unanimously approved a 45-day pause on data center permitting, approvals and development while officials prepare regulations addressing utility costs, water use and neighborhood impacts. A potential 400-megawatt facility at the Navy’s NAVWAR property helped trigger the action, although federal ownership limits the moratorium’s reach at that site. The city plans to convene a stakeholder working group, and the pause could be extended for nearly two years.
Ohio Leads the Nation in Data Center Ballot Issues
Ohio voters will weigh 21 local data center ballot issues across 18 communities this November, covering proposed bans, zoning changes and development restrictions. Concerns about electricity costs, water use, farmland conversion and secretive negotiations are driving the push for greater public control. A separate grassroots campaign is also seeking a statewide vote in 2027 on banning data centers larger than 25 megawatts.
Newport Township Residents Remain Skeptical After Developer’s Information Session
Fit Energy presented plans for a 15-data-center campus and three natural gas generation facilities on nearly 1,400 acres in Newport Township, Pennsylvania, but some residents left unconvinced. The developer highlighted closed-loop cooling, jobs and a proposed community benefits package, while neighbors raised concerns about mine subsidence and inadequate representation. Residents’ frustration follows revelations that zoning permits had already been issued before many learned about the project.
Delhi Township Pushes Back on $10 Billion Data Center Proposal
Lighthouse Sustainability’s proposed $10 billion data center in Delhi Township, Michigan, faced immediate resistance despite promises of community engagement and free household solar. Township officials announced plans to leave the economic development organization working with the developer and scheduled a vote on opposing data centers. Nearby residents say they learned about the proposal through social media, raising questions about outreach alongside concerns over noise, water and electricity use.
