The meeting follows calls from community members earlier this month urging Lawrence city commissioners to adopt a moratorium on data center development. Advocates cited concerns including large energy and water consumption, noise pollution, higher utility bills, and other potential impacts.
Speakers listed for the event include former Planning Commissioners Chelsi Hayden and Lisa Harris, Coalition for Collaborative Governance member Dominique Sexton, former Kansas Rural Center director Dan Nagengast, and former Douglas County Commissioner Nancy Thellman. Organizers say there are no current plans for development of a local data center, but advocates want residents to prepare in case proposals emerge.
The article also notes that Lawrence’s land development code allows data centers in all industrial zones without public process or commission approval, and it does not specifically define data centers or include standards addressing size, water use, energy use, or impacts on surrounding areas.