Madison Planning Board considers how to handle potential data processing facilities
MARSHALL - In its March 19 meeting, the Madison County Planning Board's biomass moratorium was not the only soon-to-be-expiring moratorium it was tasked with, as the county's data processing facility moratorium is also set to end.
As such, the county Planning Board met to shore up its draft language in its Land Use Ordinance relating to such facilities.
As with the recommended biomass language in the Land Use Ordinance, the county Planning Board's recommendations will be sent to the Madison County Board of Commissioners to vote on whether to approve, modify or deny the recommendations.
Madison County instated the June 13, 2023, moratorium to include language in the ordinance, which had made no mention of such facilities, according to Development Services Director Brad Guth.
"Data processing facilities are just a fancy way to talk about crypto mining facilities, but it also includes bigger data centers like Apple or Google, or Facebook ... in terms of server farms," Guth said in the June 2023 meeting.
"Those are all kind of grouped together in zoning. We don't have anything in our current Land Use Ordinance to deal with data processing centers. So, we'd like to have an opportunity to study that issue and establish some standards, and perhaps have a special use for data processing facilities in our ordinance."
According to Guth, the moratorium would afford the county a year to develop guidelines.
That's exactly what the Madison County Planning Board aimed to do in its March 19 meeting.
In its proposed recommendations, the Planning Board defines a data processing facility as "a site designed and used primarily for hosting computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. It includes data centers dedicated to processing, storing, and distributing data. Facilities may vary in size from small server rooms to large data farms."
As with its biomass regulation, the county Planning Board proposes to split such facilities up into two categories: a small facility will have up to 10,000 square feet of server space, while a large facility is defined as having more than 10,000 square feet of server space.
Small data processing facilities will be permissible in the Commercial zoning district. Large data processing facilities will be relegated to Industrial zones, subject to specific criteria that address infrastructure needs, including access to high-capacity power lines and high speed telecommunications networks, according to a draft of the recommended changes.
Marshall resident Elaine Robbins and Hot Springs resident Barbara Zimmerman expressed concerns for the "massive amounts" of water used to cool data processing systems, and both emphasized they'd like to see the county Planning Board include regulations to protect local water sources.
Another resident in attendance at the meeting, Ayla Teague, suggested the board could reach out to board members in other counties throughout the state to receive feedback from them, as there is an existing facility in Cherokee County.
As reported by Asheville Citizen Times' Sarah Honosky, the Buncombe County Commissioners approved a one-year moratorium on data processing facilities on May 2.
In that May 2, 2023, Buncombe County Commissioners meeting, Chris Joyell, healthy communities director with MountainTrue, thanked the county for being "proactive" on the issue.
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"MountainTrue has seen several cryptocurrency mines operating in WNC, especially in Cherokee County, where they have proven to be a nuisance to neighbors and a threat to our environment,” Joyell said.
Joyell was also on hand at the Madison County Planning Board's March 19 meeting, in which he highlighted the electronic waste from data processing facilities as "a very serious issue." Joyell reassured Robbins' and Zimmerman's concerns about the water by informing board members and attendees that counties would need to require a withdrawal and discharge permit.
"If they're returning water at 5 degrees warmer than when they went through it, I believe that that requires a thermal variance as well," Joyell said.
County land use attorney John Noor also reassured residents.
"Water is not an issue, in general," Noor said.
According to Joyell, who has worked with Cherokee County and its three existing facilities, both electronic waste and styrofoam waste have been the two most serious issues in Cherokee County's facilities.
"These facilities are chewing throuh servers routinely, so the packaging that all this equipment comes in was being sent to the landfill, and it's not compressible," Joyell said. "So, Cherokee realized that they were going to max out their capacity at the landfill, like virtually overnight.
"It's just something to keep in mind, that the waste disposal can be a real issue."
Requirements
The draft language lists a number of requirements related to height, use separation, submittal requirements, access, security fencing, screening, utility notification, signage and noise.
The Planning Board's recommended Land Use Ordinance changes include a minimum of 8 feet in height. The structures themselves should not exceed 35 feet. All electric wiring is required to be located underground.
Additionally, the entire perimeter of the facility shall be screened from adjoining properties by a buffer strip.
The facilities would be subject to the Madison County Noise Ordinance and shall not disrupt the activities of the adjacent land uses.
According to Guth, while the Madison County Board of Commissioners will discuss the recommended changes in an upcoming meeting, it is unclear whether they will discuss the changes in its next scheduled meeting, April 9 at 7 p.m.
Johnny Casey has covered Madison County for The Citizen Times and The News-Record & Sentinel for three years. He earned a first-place award in beat news reporting in the 2023 North Carolina Press Association awards. He can be reached at 828-210-6074 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Board to send data processing facilities recommendations to commission
