From Texas and Arizona to Massachusetts and New Jersey, this week’s Zoning In underscores how the data center debate has evolved far beyond isolated zoning disputes, with opposition now taking the form of lawsuits, moratoriums, coordinated grassroots campaigns, and growing political scrutiny at both the local and state levels. When developers fail to proactively educate, engage, and localize the conversation early, that vacuum is quickly filled by opposition groups, political pressure, and misinformation. Increasingly, the […]

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This week’s Zoning In is a reminder that the industry’s biggest risk isn’t always power, water, or even politics; it’s process. Case in point: this week’s data center meeting in Oklahoma that was cut short after the media was denied entry and residents’ questions went unanswered. Not only did it inflame concerns, but it also validated them. In an environment where trust is already thin, how you show up matters just as much as what […]

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This week’s Zoning In highlights a clear escalation in both outcomes and tone. Projects in places like Monterey Park and Archbald didn’t just face opposition—they were stopped altogether, with one withdrawn after sustained pressure and another denied outright. At the same time, public meetings across the country—from California to North Carolina—are becoming increasingly contentious, with some devolving into chaotic or emotionally charged forums. Layer on top of that the continued rise in moratoriums, legal challenges, […]

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This week’s Zoning In underscores a clear trend: local pushback is intensifying. From packed town halls in West Virginia and Iowa to moratorium discussions in Maine and North Carolina, one thing is clear—early engagement and transparency are no longer optional; they’re becoming prerequisites for getting projects across the finish line. Plans for new data center in Athens raise concern in community Athens-Clarke County extended its data center moratorium as officials and residents grapple with unknowns […]

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This week’s Zoning In makes one thing clear: transparency is no longer a side issue in data center development — it is quickly becoming the issue. From Ohio lawmakers weighing an NDA ban after secret local talks, to Microsoft publicly abandoning NDAs, to residents in places like Columbus, Leavenworth County, and Charles County demanding basic information on power, water, noise, and tax impacts, the pattern is the same. When communities feel shut out or underinformed, […]

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This week’s Zoning In highlights how data center development is increasingly colliding with local politics and regulatory scrutiny. In California, the city of Monterey Park moved forward with a ballot measure to ban data centers citywide. In Utah, the Provo City Council denied a zoning change that would have allowed a new facility, while Michigan’s Gibraltar adopted a one-year moratorium to give officials time to establish development standards. Across several other communities—from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania—packed […]

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This week, the data center backlash picked up an unlikely amplifier: Comedian Charlie Berens, who is headlining a citizen-led town hall opposing a proposed facility in Beaver Dam, WI. It’s a signal that what were once niche zoning fights are spilling into the broader public conversation. Elsewhere, the pressure kept building — Birmingham imposed a pause on new applications, a major project collapsed in Apex, Missouri, residents protested a closed-door meeting, and lawmakers from Ohio […]

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