Bartholomew County Plan Commission Approves Data Center Zoning Recommendation – October 14, 2026

The Bartholomew County Plan Commission met on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in Council Chambers at Columbus City Hall. The agenda listed an 8:30 a.m. start (meeting metadata timestamp: 2026-10-14 13:30 UTC). With a quorum present, the commission approved its consent calendar, opened and closed a public hearing without testimony, and voted to recommend General Resolution 2026-01 to the Bartholomew County Commissioners.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes of the July 8, 2026, and September 9, 2026, meetings were approved by voice vote with corrections. Corrections included clarifying a Route 3 rezoning item and adding the last name of planner Jesse Bouchett to the July minutes.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public testified. The commission opened and closed the public hearing for General Resolution 2026-01 without receiving comments.

Discussion Items

• General Resolution 2026-01 – Communication Service Exchanges: Staff explained that the zoning ordinance defines “communication service exchange” to include data centers, telephone service exchanges, and server farms. Because data centers have evolved significantly since the ordinance was written in 2008, staff proposed changing communication service exchanges from a permitted use to a conditional use in all commercial and industrial zoning districts in Bartholomew County, matching a change already made in the city of Columbus.
• Under current rules, a permitted communication service exchange would require only a staff-level zoning compliance certificate and no public hearing. The proposed change would require a public hearing before the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) and site-specific, case-by-case review.
• Staff were not aware of any data centers currently in the county outside the city. Existing data centers in the city already require BZA conditional-use approval; any existing data center seeking expansion would not be grandfathered and would need to go through the conditional-use process. A company’s own on-site data storage that is accessory to its primary business would not require a conditional use.
• A commission member observed that the resolution does not use the word “data center”; staff confirmed the term appears in the definitions section rather than in the resolution itself. Staff also said the planning director has discretion to identify workarounds, such as classifying a large data center as a small office. The change does not ban data centers; it adds a public hearing and BZA review.

Staff Update / Director’s Report

• Although the agenda listed no discussion items, staff gave a brief update. Staff announced that Emily Kingston has rejoined the planning department part-time and is assisting with a variety of projects, including the housing ordinance update.
• A public open house on the housing ordinance update is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The open house will give the community an opportunity to comment on draft proposals; staff anticipate changes may result.

Key Outcomes

• Motion by Arnold Haskell, seconded by Josh Burbrink, to make a favorable recommendation to the Bartholomew County Commissioners on General Resolution 2026-01. The voice vote carried with no opposing votes heard.
• The Plan Commission’s action is a recommendation only; final approval of the zoning ordinance revision rests with the county commissioners.
• The commission indicated it will continue monitoring data center issues and did not view the resolution as closing the door on future updates.
• The meeting adjourned after the vote and staff updates.