PLANS TO RETURN TO SERVICE WILL NOW REQUIRE A NEW COMPLIANCE REVIEW. A CONTENTIOUS HEARING IN SOUTHERN INDIANA TONIGHT OVER THE FATE OF A HYPERSCALE DATA CENTER PROJECT PROPOSED ON OLD ARMY PROPERTY. THE JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS NEEDED TO DECIDE WHETHER THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR CORRECTLY DETERMINED THE DATA CENTER DOES NOT NEED A SPECIAL USE EXEMPTION. NORMAN SEAWRIGHT WAS AT THE MEETING THAT JUST WRAPPED UP MINUTES AGO AND NORMAN. WHAT DID THEY SETTLE ON? WELL, RICK, THE JEFFERSON COUNTY ZONING ADMINISTRATOR HAD ARGUED A DATA CENTER OPERATION IS SIMILAR TO OTHER USES THE COUNTY ALLOWS IN A HEAVY INDUSTRY ZONE, SO IT DID NOT NEED THAT EXCEPTION THAT SENT THIS TO APPEAL. BUT AFTER HOURS OF DEBATE TONIGHT, THE BOARD ULTIMATELY AGREED. THEY EITHER RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS THAT THEY NEED TO LOOK AT BEFORE THEY FULLY ACCEPT THIS, OR THEY DO. A PAUSE. BRENDA PARTRIDGE IS A JEFFERSON COUNTY RESIDENT. SHE SAYS A DATA CENTER AT THE JEFFERSON PROVING GROUND IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR COMMUNITY. DEANNA FORD, WHOSE FAMILY OWNS THE PROPERTY THE U.S. ARMY USED TO OPERATE, SAYS THE PROPOSED SITE IS ACTUALLY THE PERFECT PLACE FOR DATA CENTERS EVERYWHERE. 4000 DATA CENTERS IN AMERICA. BUT THIS IS THE BEST PLACE FOR IT. INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY. FORMER AIRPORT. IT’S A LOT, A LOT LESS NOISY THAN A JET ENGINE. BUT THE ISSUE THE BOARD HAD TO CONSIDER. DATA CENTERS ARE NOT EXPLICITLY LISTED IN JEFFERSON COUNTY’S DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE. THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR FOUND IT APPROPRIATE WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER ALLOWED USES IN HEAVY INDUSTRY ZONES. AN APPEAL WAS FILED TO CHALLENGE THAT. THIS APPEAL DOES NOT DISPUTE THE DATA CENTER BELONGS IN AN INDUSTRIAL ZONE. INSTEAD, IT CHALLENGES MR. CLINE’S DETERMINATION THAT NO SPECIAL EXCEPTION IS REQUIRED. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO STATE AND IDENTIFY EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE USE THAT YOU COULD THINK OF, BECAUSE THE NEXT YEAR THERE’S ALWAYS GOING TO BE ANOTHER ONE, FORD SAYS. THE PROJECT COULD BRING $60 MILLION IN ANNUAL TAX REVENUE TO THE COUNTY, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF DATA CENTERS NATIONWIDE. BUT OPPONENTS LIKE PARTRIDGE HOPE REGULATIONS CAN CATCH UP. YOU CAN’T STOP AI WITH ONE BUILDING. THERE’S ALREADY 4000, PROBABLY THOUSANDS MORE GOING TO BE BUILT. WE JUST WANT ONE. ONE IS ENOUGH FOR THIS COUNTY TO REALLY BUILD ITSELF UP. THEY BROUGHT UP VALID POINTS THAT WE NOW NEED TO CONSIDER. TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT. DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT WE DO NEED ADDITIONAL ORDINANCES REGULATIONS BEFORE WE GO FORWARD. FORD ALSO TOLD US THAT IN ADDITION TO AN ANNUAL TAX REVENUE, THE PROJECT CAN SUPPORT HUNDREDS OF JOBS LIKE TECHNICAL AN