Columbiana just tightened zoning rules for data centers after a specific DigiPowerX project exposed how easily one could slide through under existing codes.
The city council unanimously approved new requirements around site dimensions, landscape buffers, and explicit power and water standards, signaling they want more leverage over future facilities.
This is a textbook example of a small city trying to get ahead of AI-era data center growth before it stresses local grids, water systems, and neighborhoods.
For GPU-heavy builds, this means more up-front friction: stricter site design, likely more scrutiny on megawatt draws, and less flexibility to scale quickly.
Developers will need to negotiate earlier with local governments, bake in buffer zones, and plan for visible infrastructure (substations, cooling) that aligns with community expectations.
Investors should read this as another data point that local zoning, not just state incentives, is becoming a gating factor for AI capacity in secondary markets.
Worth a click if you care how local politics and zoning are quietly reshaping where and how AI data centers get built.
Source: Columbiana passes new zoning restrictions for data centers
