South Bristol residents urged the Town Board to ban data centers at a Monday night public hearing, but the Ontario County town has not yet adopted the proposed restriction.
About a dozen people spoke at the hearing, all in favor of the ban, according to an Oct. 13 release from Town Supervisor Lisa Moore. The board is gathering planning-board input and conducting an environmental review before deciding whether to enact it.
The town has solicited comments from both its own planning board and the Ontario County Planning Board. It is also reviewing the proposal under New York's State Environmental Quality Review Act, a step in the process that has not yet resulted in a final board action.
Moore said she expects the Town Board to adopt a ban before the end of 2026, citing the support residents have expressed so far. That is her anticipated timeline, not an announced adoption date or a completed vote.
Residents focus on Canandaigua Lake
The hearing was the latest of three town meetings at which dozens of residents used public-comment periods to support a ban, the release said. Monday's hearing drew approximately a dozen statements, all supporting the proposal.
Moore said South Bristol includes more than 20% of Canandaigua Lake's shoreline and has an important role in its watershed. āOur residents deeply value this aspect of our town's identity,ā she said. āI am in no way surprised that they strongly support this action.ā
The town began examining local protections as proposed data center developments raised concerns in communities near Seneca and Cayuga lakes, according to the release. The town's Community Engagement Committee worked with Moore on the issue; the release does not identify a specific data center proposal in South Bristol.
Town studies how to act before a project arrives
The committee invited Dan Lamb, deputy supervisor of the Town of Dryden, to discuss his town's experience with a data center ban. The South Bristol release describes Dryden as the first New York municipality to adopt such a ban.
Lamb and other speakers stressed acting before a developer seeks a particular site. They told South Bristol officials that land-use restrictions can become more difficult to adopt after a project is proposed.
The Town Board's next steps are the planning-board input and environmental review already underway. Moore's year-end expectation remains conditional on that process and a future board decision.
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