Post Tagged with: "Data Center Community Engagement"

Zoning In

Zoning In

This week’s Zoning In highlights some of the hottest flashpoints in the national data center debate: township denials in Michigan, strained emergency services in Ohio, calls for public forums in Oregon, a potential moratorium in St. Louis, and environmental justice concerns in Georgia and Alabama. Communities are increasingly framing these projects around issues of water, power, noise, transparency, and equity. At the same time, broader political currents are beginning to converge. On September 20, hundreds […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

This week’s Zoning In tracks a surge of new data center proposals—and growing resistance—stretching from Texas and Georgia to Wisconsin, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and beyond. Communities are raising alarms over water consumption, grid strain, noise, and transparency, prompting local officials to consider moratoria, tighten zoning rules, and even rescind prior approvals. At the same time, states like Missouri and Pennsylvania grapple with shielding ratepayers from rising energy costs while attracting billions in AI-driven investment. […]

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Adam Waitkunas Joins Data Center Richness Podcast to Discuss Data Center Community Engagement and Zoning In

Adam Waitkunas Joins Data Center Richness Podcast to Discuss Data Center Community Engagement and Zoning In

Milldam Public Relations President Adam Waitkunas recently joined The Data Center Richness Podcast to discuss Zoning In and one of the industry’s most pressing issues today: the growing wave of community pushback around data centers. In the episode, Adam and host Rich explore why controversies around new data center campuses are accelerating, the local concerns driving this opposition, and how developers can proactively engage with communities to build trust and reshape the narrative. As AI-driven […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

Policy guardrails are catching up to AI infrastructure. Georgia proposes new DRI thresholds and disclosures, Pima County expands NDA and environmental review rules, and Virginia’s SCC weighs cost allocation for high-load customers. Communities from Mississippi to Virginia continue to organize, and a new report warns of potential Great Lakes water stress from data centers. Meanwhile, Brazil signals “Redata” incentives to lure renewable-powered builds. Brazil Launching Data Center Incentives Next Month to Woo Big Tech Brazil […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

This week’s Zoning In highlights how community opposition is evolving from town halls to the ballot box. In Georgia, a newly formed Political Action Committee is targeting pro–data center commissioners, signaling that opposition groups are sharpening their tools to influence not just projects, but politics itself. Across the country, we also saw projects delayed, withdrawn, or re-zoned amid protests in Virginia, Alabama, Arizona, Indiana, and Missouri. Meanwhile, watchdogs and regulators are weighing in on the […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

From Virginia to Alabama to Delaware, opposition is forcing changes — and sometimes outright cancellations — of major projects. This week’s Zoning In tracks efforts by local leaders, legislators, and residents to demand more transparency, limit environmental impacts, and rewrite zoning codes. Whether it’s grassroots victories in Pittsylvania County or looming policy shifts in Nevada and Maryland, the message is clear: communities want a seat at the table. Massive Virginia data center development drives debate […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

As temperatures continue to rise, so does the scrutiny surrounding the energy, water, and regulatory impacts of data center growth across North America. From Virginia’s AI-fueled power crunch to a proposed megacenter in Delaware that would consume nearly twice the electricity of all the state’s homes, this week’s Zoning In dives into a wave of resistance, policy shifts, and big-picture questions. With moratoriums mounting, nuclear reactors gaining traction, and transparency being tested, the data center […]

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NHL 2021-22

November 18, 2021

Anaheim Ducks vs Carolina Hurricanes

Photo by Robert Binder

Adam Waitkunas Catches Up With Bisnow to Discuss DeKalb County’s Recent Data Center Moratorium

As metro Atlanta experiences a historic surge in data center construction, local governments are starting to push back. DeKalb County, the latest jurisdiction to act, has enacted a 100-day moratorium on new data center development, joining a growing list of Georgia counties—Bartow, Coweta, Douglas—and the City of Atlanta itself, which banned data centers along the Beltline. Bisnow recently caught up with Milldam’s Adam Waitkunas to provide expert insight on the implications of this trend. “DeKalb’s […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

As the fireworks of Independence Day fade, the battle over data center development is heating up nationwide. From zoning restrictions in Phoenix and Hobart to sweeping moratoriums in Georgia and Kentucky, local governments are drawing more precise lines around where and how data centers can operate. Fueled by environmental concerns, infrastructure strain, and public mistrust, residents are pushing back—often successfully—against projects they view as disruptive or opaque. A new national poll confirms the trend: most […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

This week’s Zoning In highlights just how rapidly the data center landscape is shifting—both in policy and public perception. From Virginia to California, state and local governments are tightening oversight, adding new zoning restrictions, and questioning whether data centers deliver enough community benefit to justify their scale and resource demands. In Virginia, multiple counties are now requiring special use permits, economic impact studies, and infrastructure assessments before approving new facilities. Meanwhile, states like New Jersey […]

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