Jerome Township Tightens Regulations on Data Centers

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Jerome Township trustees voted Tuesday night to move forward with proposed amendments to data center land use regulations, reclassifying such developments as a conditional use rather than an approved use. The change marks a shift from how data centers were originally categorized and is intended to add more oversight and control over the placement and operation of data centers in the township.

Why it matters

Data centers have become increasingly common in many communities, often bringing economic benefits but also potential downsides like high energy usage and concerns over their environmental impact. The move by Jerome Township to reclassify data centers as a conditional use aims to give the local government more authority to review and regulate these facilities to balance the interests of the community.

The details

The proposed amendments would require data center developers to go through a more rigorous conditional use approval process rather than being automatically approved. This would allow the township to impose specific conditions and requirements on data center projects to mitigate potential issues like energy consumption, water usage, traffic, and noise.

• The Jerome Township trustees voted on the proposed amendments on Tuesday, March 19, 2026.

What’s next

The proposed amendments will now go through a public review and comment period before the trustees take a final vote on adopting the changes to the data center regulations.