A data center proposal in Ames has hit a temporary snag following the council’s decision to implement a nine-month delay, citing a need for more information and regulations.
Des Moines-based Lightedge is interested in building a 100,000-square-foot building at the James Herman Banning Ames Municipal Airport.
The council initially decided to delay a decision at its July 14 meeting.
On Tuesday, July 28, the council voted 4-2 to pause action on future data center developments until May 1, 2027.
The project is a smaller, regional‑scale co‑location facility rather than a hyperscale campus serving national and international companies. Lightedge representatives have repeatedly said the building would not house large AI servers.
The proposal was brought to the city on May 12 and the Ames City Council has been reviewing it since, with hundreds of residents voicing their displeasure in the project. The council pledges to make a decision an entire year after it was first proposed.
City staff initially proposed a six-month delay in order to research changes to zoning, electric, water, sewer and noise regulations in its municipal code to limit data centers in designated zones.
Additional items were added during Tuesday’s meeting, and several council members felt six months wasn’t enough time frame to consider the regulations.
Crowd members who were in attendance Tuesday broke out into applause after the vote.
Why did Ames implement a nine-month delay for data center proposals?
In addition to more research, multiple council members felt six months wasn’t enough for community input to make a decision.
Tim Gartin, one of the dissenting votes, thought the council “could do this in six or seven months.”
“I don’t think we’re being fair to the applicant who has brought this proposal in front of us to kick this can down the road indefinitely while we’re pursuing the discussion of data centers in general,” Gartin said.
Ward 1 Rep. Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen said data centers are putting unique pressures on power systems “in a way we have not seen any singular industry do.”
“I understand Lightdege has a sense of urgency; I think we need to make our decision on its own merit and not because of pressure from that sense of urgency,” Beatty-Hansen said.
Assistant City Manager Brian Phillips said he has had no direct contact with Lightedge about the delay.
Ames council implements 12-step checklist for data center approval
The delay will be extended if the council cannot complete a variety of specific tasks, according to city documents.
The city established a 12-step process in order to approve the data center, which includes zoning and ordinance changes related to water and electricity use as well as potential noise regulations. Each step, which also includes site plans and potential penalties, has a specific deadline ahead of the May 2027 decision.
How might Ames limit data centers?
Ames city code does not define what a data center is. The city is home to two data centers, though one is up for sale with a $4 million price tag.
A data processing facility was defined by the city in the 1980s, “allowed as an office use in any base commercial or industrial zone.” However, the city determined on July 14 that it doesn’t accurately capture what occurs in a modern data center.
The council was encouraged to distinguish data centers as a use separate from the existing data processing definition. Ultimately, the city could restrict data center construction based on size, on-site power generation and its cooling system.
The council may choose to contract data centers for specific electricity, water and sewage use, likely with an upfront infastructure fee through an excess facilities agreement.
Additional research topics the council added on July 28 include how to ensure water quality, renewable energy requirements and data center benefits.
Ames residents oppose data center proposal
The city council held a listening session on June 30 where over 400 residents attended to share their thoughts on a new data center.
A poll taken at the start of the meeting showed about 82% of the crowd were opposed, 4% were in favor and 13% were undecided.
Residents also held a “Donuts Not Data Centers” protest two hours before the July 14 council meeting.
An online petition, “Don’t Build Data Centers in Ames,” has garnered more than 4,300 signatures, while a Facebook group, “Ames VS Data Centers,” has 288 members.
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Data center proposal stalls as Ames implements 9-month delay
Reporting by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
