Simplified: The Lincoln County Commission will hold a public hearing next month to discuss a proposed moratorium that would prevent data centers for the next year while the county figures out its planning and zoning requirements.

Why it matters

  • The Lincoln County discussion comes in the weeks after a Sioux Falls City Council vote to approve a rezoning request for a new hyperscale data center in northeast Sioux Falls. That vote followed nearly four hours of public input, largely in opposition, and in the weeks since, volunteers have collected signatures to refer that decision to a public vote.
  • Commissioner Joel Arends brought the resolution to the county – and this week was the "meeting before the meeting" to set a public hearing on the moratorium. Commissioners voted unanimously to set the hearing for their meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24.
  • Arends didn't mince words in asserting that the public should be more involved in the process from the start – in contrast to how the data center debate is playing out in Sioux Falls.
"I want citizens to have a hand in creating the standards and conditions before ny type of zoning application is filed, not at the second reading during the public comment period," he said.

Tell me more

Commissioners Tiffani Landeen and Betty Otten said they support the idea of a moratorium while the county figures out its planning and zoning rules for hyperscale data centers – but both said they'd prefer to see the moratorium closer to three or six months instead of a full year.

  • But the commission's legal representation was quick to point out that Tuesday's decision was strictly about setting a public hearing, not about debating the specifics of the resolution itself.

The moratorium would only apply to parts of the county that aren't already incorporated into a city. City governments have their own jurisdiction, so if a data center wanted to come to Harrisburg or Tea, for example, those cities would be able to make their own decisions.

Public input Tuesday was limited to discussion on whether a public hearing should be held – not on the merits of data centers themselves.

What happens next?

Commissioners will take action on the moratorium during their meeting on Feb. 24.