This week’s Zoning In reinforces a trend we’re seeing again and again: projects are being delayed, reshaped, or stopped altogether, not just over energy or water concerns, but over trust, transparency, and process. In New York, a proposal sparked more than 2,000 petition signatures before plans were even formalized, while in North Carolina, officials voided an approved rezoning due to process missteps. In Texas, residents are now threatening a recall after a project moved forward […]
This week’s Zoning In underscores a hard truth: the data center industry is still playing catch-up from past missteps, and the learning curve on community engagement remains steep. Projects are becoming flashpoints faster than ever, not just over energy or water, but around trust, transparency, and process. From Florida to Pennsylvania to Missouri, we’re seeing developments delayed, scaled back, or derailed—not simply because of what’s proposed, but because of how it’s introduced and how communities […]
This week’s Zoning In highlights a clear shift: while energy and water concerns are still present, they’re increasingly being overshadowed by transparency and community engagement—and the consequences when both fall short. Across multiple markets, projects introduced late or with limited public visibility are triggering immediate backlash, with residents focusing less on technical impacts and more on process, access to information, and whether their voices are being heard. That breakdown is showing up in real time. […]
This week’s Zoning In shows the data center debate moving decisively from city halls to statehouses. New York lawmakers introduced a three-year moratorium to study grid, ratepayer, and water impacts—while other states are floating similar “pause and prove it” approaches. Referendums (Janesville), lawsuits (Hobart), and even NDA backlash in Michigan signal that process and transparency are now just as combustible as power and water. At the local level, timelines and trust are everything. Fermi’s permitting […]
This week’s Zoning In highlights a troubling pattern playing out across multiple markets: projects are making headlines long before they ever reach the community microphone. From Monterey Park and DeKalb County to Lowell Township, Spartanburg County, and Imperial County, residents are showing up angry—not because data centers exist, but because they’ve been reading about proposed projects in the press for months—sometimes more than a year—before a single town hall, briefing, or listening session ever occurred. […]
Two weeks into the New Year, 2026 is already picking up exactly where 2025 left off—contentious, politicized, and increasingly unforgiving for data center development done on autopilot. This week’s Zoning In shows opposition accelerating across multiple fronts at once: environmental groups challenging utility planning at the state level, auditors undercutting economic impact claims, lawmakers floating moratoria, and local governments are hitting pause while they scramble to update zoning codes. What’s notable isn’t just the volume […]
This week’s Zoning In highlights data center opposition shifting decisively beyond local zoning battles and into state policy arenas. As projects stall amid growing community backlash, governors and lawmakers are stepping in to recalibrate the rules. In Florida, the Project Tango fight highlights an unusual alignment between environmental advocates and Gov. Ron DeSantis around strengthening local authority and tightening siting standards for AI data centers. In Arizona, Gov. Katie Hobbs’ call to sunset data center […]
This week’s Zoning In makes one thing clear: opposition to data center development is no longer just a local land-use fight; it’s becoming a durable political force that will carry straight into 2026. From city councils rejecting projects despite heavy lobbying to moratoria, lawsuits, recalls, and even candidate recruitment efforts explicitly aimed at stopping data centers, community pushback is reshaping elections and policy conversations at every level. What’s especially striking is how this resistance is […]
This week’s Zoning In highlights how quickly the national conversation around AI infrastructure is shifting. Last night, Chandler made headlines with a unanimous vote rejecting a $2B AI data center after overwhelming community pushback. Next week, Nvidia will host a private summit to address the power shortages that are now slowing AI growth. Across the country, Palm Beach County has paused a major hyperscale proposal, Virginia lawmakers are moving to restrict siting and tax breaks, […]
This week’s Zoning In highlights how quickly pushback—and now litigation—is reshaping the data center landscape. National advocacy groups are assembling new legal tools to challenge AI facilities, as Amazon exits Tucson’s Project Blue, Michigan logs 5,000 public comments on a 1.4-GW power deal, and West Shreveport’s MPC rejects a 2.8-million-sq-ft campus. From Brandon, MS, to Hanover, VA, to Meta’s El Paso AI build, communities are demanding hard numbers on water, power, noise, and grid costs—and […]
