The Linn County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider a new ordinance regulating data center development when it meets tomorrow .
The first draft says such large-scale projects need to include a study to determine if there is enough water to support the development.
Charlie Nichols, the county’s planning and development director, says one goal is for the county to have approval authority over data center projects.
“I think the important part is that for every data center project that is proposed, there is public scrutiny on it,” Nichols says. “There is a public process where these projects are discussed and evaluated in public, and then the elected officials make the decision based on the public comment and the information they have.”
The ordinance also requires the developer to sign a water use agreement with the county to establish expectations for ongoing water use.
Stacey Bakker, who lives in unincorporated Linn County, says the ordinance doesn’t consider long-term agricultural impacts.
“The one thing you have to take into account is we are the number-one producer of corn, pork, eggs and beans,” Bakker says. “You are letting hungry teenage boys in the pantry and they’re going to eat it up.”
In addition to the agreements, the draft ordinance includes regulations related to building setbacks, noise, emergency response planning, and road use.
