By Allison Peck
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners will consider a zoning amendment Monday that would require future data center proposals to undergo the county's conditional use permit process rather than being allowed as a permitted use in industrial zoning districts.
The proposal comes less than a week after commissioners voted 3-2 for a second time to reject a six-month moratorium on data center development, with a majority of the board maintaining that the county already has authority to regulate such projects under existing zoning regulations while more comprehensive standards continue to be developed.
The amendment scheduled for public hearing at 9:20 a.m. was unanimously recommended by the Lincoln County Planning Commission during its July 13 meeting.
If approved by the commissioners, the change would amend the county's zoning regulations by moving data centers in the I-1 Industrial District from a permitted use to a conditional use.
The distinction is significant because conditional use permits require review by the Planning Commission and approval by the County Board, including public hearings where neighboring property owners and residents can provide input before a project is approved.
Planning officials have described the amendment as an additional safeguard while broader data center regulations are finalized.
The Planning Commission has spent several months researching and drafting regulations governing issues such as water use, noise, setbacks, emergency power generation, decommissioning requirements and other operational standards specific to large-scale data centers.
Those draft regulations remain under development and have not yet been forwarded to the County Board for consideration.
Monday's hearing will focus only on the proposed change to the county's land use matrix.
The data center issue has generated significant public interest in recent months, with residents expressing concerns about water consumption, electrical demand, environmental impacts and transparency surrounding potential projects.
County Planning Director Judy Clark has repeatedly stated there is currently no data center application before the county.
Commissioners Joe Hewgley, Christopher Bruns and Jerry Woodruff voted last week against the proposed moratorium, arguing the county already has regulatory authority through its zoning code and conditional use permit process. Commissioners Micaela Wuehler and Kent Weems supported the temporary moratorium, saying it would provide additional time for regulations to be completed before any applications could be submitted.
The board's decision prompted recall petitions against the three commissioners who voted against the moratorium. Those petitions were filed following last week's meeting and remain in the early stages of Nebraska's recall process.
In addition to the data center zoning amendment, Monday's agenda includes several planning matters, including subdivision and conditional use permit requests, an insurance renewal update from Hub International, routine county business, and property valuation protest hearings before the Board of Equalization.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. Monday, July 20, in the commissioners room at the Lincoln County Courthouse. The meeting will also be streamed live on the county's YouTube channel.