Sedgwick County puts temporary pause on potential data center developments
Sedgwick County has put a temporary pause on development applications and zoning for data centers in unincorporated parts of the county.
The county currently does not have any regulations for data centers in the area, which was cited as one of the reasons for the pause, which lasts until mid-April.
“This interim development control is only temporary and is meant to allow staff to thoroughly review the issue, provide feedback, provide data and other research,” Sedgwick County Commissioner Ryan Baty said.
During Wednesday’s commission meeting, the county said it currently does not have any applications for data centers, but has been approached by interested companies.
During a county staff meeting earlier this week, the city’s planning director, Scott Wadle, said the joint city-county zoning department received an inquiry about building a data center in the county that could be 300 to 500 acres in size.
The commission directed its staff to research the issue and present its findings before the pause ends. That will allow the commission to craft policies and other regulations for the centers.
“I know this is timely,” Commissioner Jim Howell said, “because there’s rumors of an application that may or may not happen, but the rumors are out there, which is why we’re getting a lot of email on this topic, and now we’re reacting with this potential change in zoning.”
Last year, the Kansas Legislature passed tax incentives for data centers to develop in the state — but it also set limits on their energy usage and encouraged water conservation.
However, some communities are concerned about the impact data centers could have, including the amount of water that needs to be used to keep the centers running and the impact on utilities in the area.
Baty cited that as one of the issues that needs to be researched during the pause.
“I’m extremely interested in the potential impact that data centers may have on the region and community, including impacts on water, utility rates and policies, governing setbacks, water reuse and other things related to data centers,” he said.
Sedgwick County recently had a moratorium on solar farms in the county, which resulted in several new zoning restrictions for the projects.
The County Commission cited this as an example for the data center moratorium, but also said the research gathered during that process could help speed up the process on creating regulations for data centers.
The Harvey County Commission unanimously passed its own moratorium on data center developments earlier this week. However, Harvey County’s pause extends until the end of 2028.
“The moratorium allows the Harvey County Planning, Zoning and Environmental Department, as well as the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, time to research, consider or create regulations governing future development concerning data centers,” a release by Harvey County read.