Commissioners direct planning staff to prepare data‑center rules, discuss moratorium and infrastructure impacts

Dickinson County planning and zoning staff told commissioners that data centers are emerging as a likely land‑use issue across the region and urged the county to prepare regulations before applications arrive.

Tim Hamilton, the county’s planning and zoning director, said the planning commission will consider data‑center provisions in June and will offer both a detailed regulatory option and a simplified interim approach. Hamilton described a set of vetting criteria (PACC: precise, accurate, complete and consistent) to ensure applications presented at public hearings match what was filed, reducing late‑stage proposal changes.

"The data center conversation's happening. It's live," Hamilton told the commission, arguing that local rules should address power sources, water demands, and other site impacts before applications arrive. Commissioners discussed whether to use a moratorium to buy time; Hamilton explained how other counties have used multi‑year moratoria while they draft rules and noted a moratorium can be lifted for a specific use once regulations are adopted and approved.

Commissioners directed staff to keep data‑center rules separate from the county's alternative‑energy moratorium, to consult cities and economic development partners about water and utility capacity, and to present both a simplified and a more detailed regulatory recommendation to the planning commission and board.

No formal zoning changes were adopted at the meeting; staff said they will return with draft language, an impact analysis, and options for public engagement and study sessions.