Wilmington's city planning commission considered requiring an extra layer of review for new data centers.
But it will be at least another month before that idea gets reconsidered. And no matter what happens, a rule change wouldn't apply to the data center Amazon is seeking to build, which would be grandfathered in.
The resolution would have switched data centers from "permitted use" in industrial zones to "conditional use."
The planning commission tabled the vote Tuesday, after some confusion from the board on what impact it would have on Amazon’s site plan proposal for a $4 billion data center.
City staff said they proposed this ordinance after receiving concerns from the community on data centers.
This would require these projects to undergo the same steps as permitted-use developments. The difference is each project would be subject to further review by the city's Board of Zoning Appeals for approval.
Legal advice provided at the meeting clarified that the proposed Amazon data center wouldn’t be subject to the ordinance if it were passed, because the developer has an active application, grandfathering it.
Clerk of Council Annen Vance also had to clarify that review criteria for conditional use permits is already available in the city's code of enforcement.
Residential feedback on the proposal was mixed, though most speakers raised concerns about the negative impacts data centers can create.
A date to revisit the resolution hasn’t yet been determined.
