DAYTON — City commissioners have moved forward with a plan to ban data center developments in Dayton.
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That move was included in major zoning changes proposed during a public hearing on Wednesday.
City commissioners imposed a 6-month moratorium on considering any data center permits in April but realized they didn’t have any zoning regulations that specifically applied to them.
They decided to change that, and city staff suggested a total ban.
“I did get a letter from Old North Dayton, they’re in support,” Dayton City Commissioner Chris Shaw said.
One neighborhood group already endorsed a possible ban on data centers.
Commissioners held a public hearing on the proposed zoning changes on Wednesday night.
The idea is to stop buildings that take up 100,000 or more square feet, like data centers tech companies use to provide internet, AI capabilities, and more.
Commissioners did have questions.
“In a place where we’re going to prohibit some of our larger employers from having the necessary IT resources they need?” Dayton City Commissioner Daryl Fairchild said.
“The answer to your question is no,” Dayton City Planner Jeff Green said.
City planners made clear the ban is not on the company’s server rooms, which they call “Accessory Use.”
The ban is for projects where the data center is the “Primary Use.”
“There are a lot of homes within a mile of our old industrial sites,” Green said.
Many data centers are in business parks or industrial zones.
City planners told us, in Dayton, that it is often still close to residential areas that might be impacted by noise and traffic.
“We would want sizable pieces of land that are left or to be redeveloped, used for job creators,” Green said.
Many residents have expressed concern about data centers’ electrical and water use.
One man said the city needs to worry about water run-off if nearby cities approve data center developments.
“Certainly, we’re not going to have them, right? But other people are so we have to account for those other people that are,” Dayton resident Talib Pettaway said.
The city’s planning board already approved the proposed zoning changes.
Commissioners are expected to approve the changes in the next couple of weeks, after already voicing their approval.
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