The council is expected to consider changes to the city’s zoning code that would create a specific definition for data center use on a property. Zoning rules assign each parcel a code that broadly outlines how it can be developed and what kind of uses are allowed.
A property zoned for low-density housing could not have a large apartment building, for example, without changing its zoning status — which requires a city review and public hearing.
But Kansas City’s zoning code previously did not have a definition specifically for data center use and where one can be developed or how. Data centers have previously been listed in zoning code under “communications service establishment,” like a radio studio.
The City Council will consider an ordinance on Thursday that would change that and would apply to future data center construction and expansion within the city. Further changes would define and apply to massive data center projects, or more than 500,000 square feet, as a “large format use” with additional requirements.
Data center projects have already been regulated and subject to existing zoning and permit rules and public hearing processes, but the changes would tighten up rules specific to data centers, and there could be greater transparency in public documents when developers seek zoning changes to allow data center use.
The exact rules for a data center, which include new regulations, depend on where it would go, how big it would be and other factors.
Of note, data centers would no longer be allowed in certain zoning districts, including small-scale neighborhood commercial areas and the lowest-density residential areas, under the new rules. That means such properties would need to be rezoned to a new zoning category through a public hearing to allow for a data center there.
All data center projects must include a letter showing that utility providers will provide service to them.
Smaller data centers in larger commercial areas or the downtown area could not take up more than 50% of the ground floor of a building facing the street. And large data centers must follow certain rules about noise, odor, light, vibration, traffic and other elements while being set back and screened from residential areas, among other changes.
Officials say the changes will provide clarity to city staff, developers and the public and offer a clear review process.
But, as data center development explodes with the growth of artificial intelligence, zoning is only a piece of the puzzle in regulating their construction and operation while understanding their impact on the community.
City council members have received many messages about data centers in Kansas City, and over 100 people submitted letters about the zoning changes alone — unusual for a council ordinance. Many letters said the city needs to go further to address concerns.
“Putting aside the concerns about taxpayer resources, job security, environmental impact, which is all valid, allowing this infrastructure for AI computing may seem inconspicuous now, but there’s no sign of it being regulated on a federal or state level anytime soon,” organizer Cody Boston told the council’s neighborhoods committee on Tuesday.
Data centers, including the appearance of massive hyperscale data centers for major tech companies like Google and Meta, have turned into a national news story as questions swirl about their impact on the environment, utility bills, power and water usage, privacy and surveillance, the impact of AI on society, city revenues through hefty tax incentives, quality of life for nearby residents and more.
City Council members themselves are seeking answers to these questions and staged a hearing earlier this month with representatives from Evergy and city departments to discuss the utility bill, energy use and environmental angles.
And the city could take further action; separate from the zoning ordinance, the council could soon direct city staff to come up with more recommendations around economic development, water and energy related to data centers.
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