The Edgerton City Council has denied a temporary ban on data centers, making it the second community in Johnson County to consider and deny a moratorium this month. The council voted 3-2 to deny a six-month moratorium, which would have temporarily prevented applications for facilities where the primary use was a data center.

Resident Concerns

Edgerton resident Kim Twente expressed disappointment in the decision, stating that the community has worked hard to get a moratorium passed. Twente believes the city council is not representing the citizens, but rather the corporations coming into the town.

Councilmembers Deb Lebakken and Ron Conus voted against the denial, with Lebakken stating that she pushed for a moratorium because the community still doesn’t have the environmental answers it deserves. Lebakken is extremely disappointed that the council had no chance to discuss this openly before the vote.

Previous Developments

This isn’t the first time the Edgerton City Council and residents have clashed on development in and around the town. In late 2020, the city council annexed more than 600 acres of unincorporated land owned by NorthPoint Development into Edgerton. Residents came out in droves to speak against the rezoning, citing concerns related to traffic, the proximity to Hillsdale Lake, and losing the area’s natural feel.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach stepped in, ultimately siding with the residents when he sued the city of Edgerton. However, a Johnson County District Court judge ruled in favor of the city last year.

A data center application was withdrawn in Spring Hill earlier this spring, and a California-based company withdrew its data center application in Gardner following community pushback. Residents pushed for a moratorium, but it was ultimately denied on June 1.

Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.