Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission holds conversation around data center regulations
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission struck up a conversation around data centers Thursday night.
On the commission’s agenda was defining data centers, where they should be and under what conditions. Adding the definition to amend the zoning code could take three to five months.
Defining the standards, such as where the facilities can be built and the conditions, could take eight-to-12 months.
“We understand there’s a lot of uncertainty about what could be constructed in industrial zoning districts,” Columbia Senior Planner David Kunz said. “We need more zoning lots ready to go for the purpose of commercial development. But concerns about what could be constructed have got in the way there.”
The commission agreed on a definition for what proposed data centers in Columbia would look entail. Commission leaders say more in-depth conversations are to come regarding the standards, but a public hearing regarding the definition could happen at the end of Feb.
No official date has been decided yet.