Overview
- Madison’s Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend a one-year moratorium on new data or telecommunications centers of 10,000 square feet or larger.
- The recommendation now heads to the Common Council with backing from Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and 12 alders who co-sponsored the ordinance.
- The moratorium would last up to 12 months from council adoption and could end sooner once updated rules are approved.
- A city staff memo warns large data centers could strain electricity and water systems, emergency services, traffic, noise and air quality, while the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce opposes a pause as a deterrent to investment.
- In Birmingham, the City Council referred a proposed six-month application freeze to the planning and zoning commission for further study after public testimony on utility and land-use impacts, with the item expected back by late January or early February.