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Last Update: 09/19/2026 at 11:34 PM EST
Lexington Puts Data Centers On Hold
Coverage from KLC, Lexington Herald-Leader, and others
Lexington-Fayette has paused data center development while officials consider zoning rules that would prohibit large facilities and conditionally allow smaller ones in selected industrial areas.
Proposed requirements address electricity use, water, noise, transmission impacts, stormwater, cooling, decommissioning, and setbacks from homes and sensitive sites. The debate was prompted in part by DartPoints’ plan to expand a former Lexmark data center toward as much as 70 megawatts, making the final rules significant for the project’s timeline and for future data center siting in Fayette County.
Looking Back
89 Day Timeline
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History
09/09/2026
Lexington’s proposed restrictions have become more specific and potentially more consequential, adding a 25-megawatt cap and detailed buffers while DartPoints’ roughly 70-megawatt expansion remains stalled.
08/06/2026
Lexington’s response has hardened from a proposed restriction into an active moratorium and recommended zoning overhaul, while the broader Kentucky story now includes additional jurisdictions adopting or considering similar controls. The dispute has also sharpened around litigation and contested large-scale projects, especially near Maysville.
All Articles34 articles
Important
In Kentucky, Cave City adopted a 12-month data center moratorium in May 2026, followed by a June 8 lawsuit, while Bowling Green enacted restrictive zoning rules.
6/30/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Lexington-Fayette planning staff released a draft zoning amendment restricting data centers by size, buffers, and required water, energy, transmission, and noise plans ahead of a July 30 hearing.
6/26/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
In Bowling Green, Kentucky, the City Commission in June 2026 voted down a six-month data-center moratorium and advanced zoning amendments with buffers, closed-loop cooling, and environmental bonding.
7/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Kentucky counties and cities debate data center expansion as moratoria and hearings address electricity, water, groundwater, and land-use cost concerns.
7/13/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Morgan McGarvey and Louisville and Lexington officials dispute hyperscale data center plans in Kentucky and pursue zoning and permitting limits amid utility cost concerns.
7/10/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Lexington officials will seek public comment October 6 on proposed data center zoning rules at the government center after a moratorium followed DartPoints' expansion plan.
8/24/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Lexington-Fayette planning officials will consider Thursday zoning amendments that could prohibit major data centers and restrict minor facilities across Fayette County.
7/30/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Lexington's planning commission recommended on July 30, 2026, that the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council ban data centers over 50,000 square feet and tighten rules for smaller facilities in Fayette County.
7/30/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
DartPoints plans to redevelop Lexington's former Lexmark data center, but a city moratorium and proposed countywide zoning limits have delayed approvals at the Kentucky site.
7/29/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Louisville Metro's Office of Planning proposed Jefferson County data center restrictions in draft recommendations released before public hearings starting Monday night.
7/27/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Kent County Levy Court approved Delaware data center siting requirements for unincorporated areas, adding industrial zoning limits, buffers, and water and electric service documentation.
7/25/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Louisville planning officials proposed stricter data-center zoning rules after 3,600 public comments and community opposition to a Rubbertown hyperscale site on Camp Ground Road.
7/24/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Lexington, Kentucky planning staff proposed a July 30 zoning amendment to restrict data center locations and ban facilities over 50,000 square feet.
6/27/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Nelson County moratorium actions and Louisville town hall discussions in Kentucky unfold as Hancock County advances a phased 401 MW TeraWulf AI data center campus.
7/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Ludlow, Kentucky, moved forward with a first reading of a 12-month moratorium on data center applications pending zoning updates and impact studies.
7/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
A new 2,080-acre data center campus is proposed for Mason County, Kentucky, north of Germantown Road, with community petitions seeking a data center moratorium.
7/5/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Lexington planning officials released a draft zoning ordinance for hyper-scale data centers before new builds, with a July 30 Planning Commission hearing.
6/27/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Louisville Climate Action Network is urging residents to oppose proposed data center regulations during upcoming public hearings in Louisville, Kentucky.
8/2/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Lexington planning commissioners considered stricter data center zoning amendments on July 30, 2026, after residents opposed development and DartPoints acquired the former Lexmark facility in Lexington, Kentucky.
7/31/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
The Lexington-Fayette Planning Commission will consider July 30 zoning amendments that would prohibit major data centers and restrict smaller facilities in Fayette County, Kentucky.
7/30/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Mason County officials approved zoning in May for a proposed 2.2-gigawatt hyperscale data center near Maysville, Kentucky, prompting a lawsuit and displacement concerns.
8/4/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Lexington City Council is reviewing data center zoning amendments in Lexington, Kentucky, with a planning presentation on September 8 and a public hearing scheduled for October 6.
9/6/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Interesting
Kentucky lawmakers held a Louisville town hall on Wednesday on hyperscale data centers, focusing on Camp Ground Road while residents and officials discussed draft code amendments and potential regulation.
7/9/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Louisville residents, led by Kentucky Sen. Keturah Herron and colleagues, sought greater oversight and transparency for hyperscale data center development during a town hall ahead of the General Assembly.
7/8/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Nelson County, Kentucky, prepares a countywide moratorium on hyperscale data centers after officials rejected siting and residents requested land-use protections.
7/2/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Lexington residents and council members held a public meeting in Kentucky after DartPoints Operating Company purchased the former Lexmark data center, leading to a unanimous moratorium on development plan intake.
6/16/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Lexington community leaders scheduled a June 15 meeting at Lyric Theater after a June 9 Urban County data center moratorium.
6/15/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Lexington-Fayette planning commissioners approved on July 30 a zoning ordinance that would ban large data centers in Fayette County, with final action pending from the City Council.
7/31/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Lexington Urban Council scheduled a July 30, 2026 public hearing on a draft data center zoning ordinance text amendment at Council Chambers on E. Main Street.
7/22/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Lexington, Kentucky held a public town hall as DartPoints advanced a hyperscale data center proposal and Urban County Council pursued a moratorium and zoning text amendment.
6/16/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Lexington Planning Commission approved the Blue Sky industrial park plan as Fayette County moved toward data center zoning rules and a moratorium through Oct. 31.
6/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council members are reviewing data center zoning rules in Lexington, Kentucky, before a moratorium expires October 31.
9/9/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission recommended stricter data center rules Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky, as residents opposed DartPoints’ proposed facility near West New Circle Road.
7/31/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Lexington, Kentucky residents held a public hearing after City Council approved a four-month data center moratorium tied to a Lexmark property sale to Dartpoint.
6/16/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General