The McLean County Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday approved more detailed zoning rules for data centers, specifying details covering infrastructure, lighting, power and water use.
Approved unanimously, the revised proposal will go to the county board for a vote at its June 11 meeting.
Lea Cline, chair of the Land Use and Transportation Committee, was absent, but submitted a letter saying the intent behind the rules remains the same, but the evolving issues around data centers — as well as lack of direction from the state — required more detail in the county's rules.
“These experiences demonstrated that local governments benefit from more explicit standards to ensure that potential impacts are properly identified, fully disclosed and responsibly mitigated,” stated the letter.
Some of the changes require facility owners to:
- Identify anticipated impacts to public infrastructure and services such as roads, emergency service and utilities, as well as any measure to address those impacts.
- Provide any specialized training or equipment for the fire protection district responsible for emergency response for the facility.
- Detail planned water use, including the amount, source, treatment and any effect on local groundwater sources.
- List plans for wastewater, including volume, method of handling, disposal and environmental impacts.
- Detail the amount of electricity required, as well its sources, and document efforts to reduce impact on the area's electrical infrastructure.
- Supply details including type, capacity and hours of backup power systems for use in emergencies.
- Identify anticipated impacts to public infrastructure and services such as roads, emergency service and utilities, and any measure to address those impacts.
- Provide a decommissioning plan explaining how the site would be restored, including cost, when the center closes.
- Minimize the physical and geographical footprint by maximizing use of existing developed areas.
- Add a 15-foot setback from the property line for required evergreen foliage that serves as screening.
Cline noted the county's authority to limit or ban data centers is limited, and that much of the regulatory authority lies with the state.
"McLean County’s role is to regulate land use through zoning permitting and infrastructure insight, not to regulate the broader data center industry itself,” Cline said.
“Until Springfield provides clearer direction, the county must ensure that its zoning code is as protective, comprehensive and enforceable as possible to the limits of its statutory authority.”
As part of the effort, officials evaluated other Central Illinois regulations, said Director of Building and Zoning Phil Dick.
“Yes, we looked at several other counties, but ours is more restrictive than any of theirs,” he said.
The General Assembly failed to act on the POWER Act, a multifaceted data center regulation bill, before the legislature adjourned on May 31.
Public comment
Several county residents spoke at the meeting, expressing their support for the changes.
Ruth Burke of Cheney’s Grove said she lives in southeast Bloomington.
“Me and my family would be breathing diesel emissions and having our wells run dry, so these guardrails protect me — and all of you,” she said.
Anna Ziegler of Bloomington proposed a wording change adopted by the board clarifying one aspect of water reporting.
And Tricia Braid of Heyworth suggested an amendment that would add detailed requirements on lighting. That amendment was not incorporated into the final version, though ZBA members acknowledged lighting as an issue.
