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HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – A new draft of an ordinance to establish regulations around data centers in Hopkinsville has been given the green light by the local Planning Commission, which pushes it one step closer to going to Hopkinsville City Council for final approval.
At the Oct. 8 Planning Commission meeting, board members only made one amendment to the drafted ordinance based on information that was heard during a recent public hearing. The previous draft permitted a data center to develop in both of the existing industrial zoning districts, I-1 and I-2. The proposed amendment restricted development to just I-2.
Community and Development Services and the Planning Commission have been in the process of establishing these regulations well before it was publicly announced that there was interest in a development of a data center. Since then, there have been multiple public hearings and adjustments to the drafted ordinance that is intended to set regulations and parameters for where, and how data centers can develop and operate in the city. This includes but is not limited to defining data centers and ensuring a closed loop water system.
“We’ve been working on this for about four to five months,” CDS Executive Director Tom Britton told Christian County Now. “This is a complex issue and our commission wanted to make sure it gave everyone an opportunity to chime into the process…we wanted to make sure we were addressing all concerns if possible.”
What does I-2 zoning mean?
As described by Britton and shown on a newly presented map, I-2 areas are generally limited to existing industrial and commerce parks with the setback and buffer zones included for noise reduction purposes.
Hopkinsville’s zoning ordinance defines the heavy industrial district, or I-2 in the following way:
“This District is composed of land and structures occupied by or suitable for heavy manufacturing and related activities. Located for convenient access to present and future arterial thoroughfares, highways and railway lines, these Districts are usually separated from residential areas by business districts or natural barriers; the District regulations are designed to permit the development of the districts for almost any industrial use.“
Comparatively, the originally included I-1, or light industrial district, can be integrated with other land uses such as commercial and residential areas with specific limitation in place. I-1 zoning acts as a transition between heavier industrial uses and non-industrial uses.
It was established by the commission during the meeting that this draft of the ordinance has been evaluated thoroughly, with a lot of research and public input taken into consideration to make informed decisions.
Only one board member, Ben Bolinger, voted against the amendment, although he later clarified that he would have supported the change if he was able to see a visual representation of the I-2 zoning areas that would be removed. The amendment ultimately past, and the draft as amended passed unanimously.
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What happens next
Britton explained to Christian County Now that since the draft has been approved by the Planning Commission, it will now go to the Community and Development Services board for additional approval on Monday, Oct. 12. If CDS accepts their favorable recommendation, the ordinance will be presented to the Hopkinsville City Council.
At that point, councilmembers may have initial discussion about the ordinance at a committee of the whole meeting, and it will ultimately require two votes by the council for final approval.
It has not been shared with this may appear of the city council agenda pending the results of the CDS meeting.
More about proposed data center
DarkHorse Technologies Inc. recently announced that they signed a power contract with Hopkinsville Electric System to provide up to 50 MW of power for a new superintelligence factory (data center) in Hopkinsville.
This project is tentatively titled Project Truckstop, with mockup design options available on their Hoptown Data Center website. Their designs include modular and conventional building options with the substation on site and an area for battery storage. To support the development, they will fund and construct a new 65MW substation, which will also provide up to 15MW of additional capacity for existing HES customers.
The exact proposed location has not been shared and plans have not been submitted for construction at this time.
DarkHorse has operated in Hopkinsville for approximately three years at a site contracted for approximately 15 MW at HES’s Holland Substation, also being evaluated for conversion to a superintelligence factory. Their recent statement said they are committed to a closed loop system and will fully fund the projects.
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