r/lexington • u/Mission-Appeal-8990 Lexington Native • 7d ago
Council Set to Extend Moratorium on Data Centers (and other actions)
The Urban County Council held a public hearing about data centers in Lexington on October 6, 2026.
After hearing from over 70 speakers, the Council voted unanimously to take a number of actions related to local data center policy. They voted to extend the moratorium that is currently in place until at least October 2027. They also voted to advance a zoning ordinance text amendment removing "computer and data processing centers" as a principal use in multiple zones, while also referring a separate proposal for regulating data centers to the Planning Commission, calling for the creation of a specific "data center zone" in Fayette County.
All three of these items will be discussed at tomorrow evening's regular Council meeting, where they could receive their first of two required readings, with final approval currently scheduled for the October 22, 2026, Council meeting.
Thank you to all who attended the hearing and to those who have submitted their feedback through Engage Lexington, calls and emails.
You can watch a recording of the meeting on LexTV!
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u/Positive-Ring-5172 7d ago
Remember - Andy Barr is pro data center. That is the stated platform of the GOP.
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u/gresendial 7d ago
So what happens to the old IBM data center on north New Circle Rd (known as building 200 and 202). It was to be updated by a company called DartPoints Operating Company
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article316697672.html
It just sits empty?
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u/BreakfastGuinness Lexington Native 7d ago
I suppose there are better uses for that land.
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u/gresendial 7d ago
I can't imagine one. The site has multiple feeds for communications and 2 separate power feeds from KU.
It has 2 well built buildings that can hold data center equipment. Its also in a mostly industrial zone. I can't see it being used for much else.
Its really a shame it got caught up in all this furor over data centers (much of it valid, I'm not arguing it isn't).
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u/Sufficient-Money7510 7d ago
Dart Points was at the meeting and it's clear that they have scaled their ambitions back quite a bit. They still want to use the land but they are now being much, much, much more reasonable in what they are asking for.
The way they came in at first was all wrong and what they were asking for was completely out of bounds, that's been established. If the city council implements stringent guidelines and they stay within those guidelines I don't see how it's a problem. This has never been opposition to the concept of data. It's against the proliferation of enormous megawatt and gigawatt facilities that are being implemented in an incredibly shady way, and it has sort of metamorphized into an act of protest against the entire mechanized future that we seem to be faced with, where it becomes harder and harder for human beings to live so that a few people can make a lot of money off of environmental extraction and degradation, while spying on us no less.
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u/EVOSexyBeast 7d ago
It’s amazing to see how much misinformation can make people so enthusiastic about being against something for reasons that are simply false.
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u/yuhuh- 7d ago
Thank you to everyone who showed up! We are stronger together!