A Monday council meeting in Palo, Iowa, drew more people than Palo City Hall could comfortably hold, highlighting the intensity of local interest in the city’s new data center ordinance. Officials gave the rules final approval, setting parameters that could influence how the small Iowa community responds to a potentially large tech project.
Even with the ordinance passing on a 4-1 vote, the argument over it is clearly continuing.
What happened?
With Council member Doug Hanover casting the only no vote, Palo’s City Council adopted an ordinance that The Gazette said establishes basic standards for where data centers can locate and how they can be developed inside city limits.
According to The Gazette, Palo based much of its ordinance on Linn County’s earlier data center rules, but its version puts greater emphasis on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in evaluating possible water-use effects. The measure also requires a major site plan describing a project’s layout, timeline, and expected jobs. Any city infrastructure upgrades tied to a project would be paid for by the developer…