Lansing residents will have an opportunity Nov. 17 to comment on a zoning proposal intended to prohibit data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities in the town.
The special Town Board meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Lansing Middle School auditorium, 6 Ludlowville Road. The town’s notice also provides for viewing through YouTube.
The proposal would add definitions for cryptocurrency, cryptocurrency data mines, data centers and general processing to the zoning code. It would leave data centers and cryptocurrency mines off the town’s schedule of permitted land uses.
Under the existing zoning provision identified in the notice, uses that are not specifically permitted are disallowed, subject to the code’s exceptions.
The proposed resolution explains that those exceptions include a properly obtained use variance, a lawful preexisting nonconforming use or authorization in a newly created zoning district.
The definition of general processing is central to the change. The town’s Zoning Board of Appeals previously interpreted that category to include anything a business could process, according to the resolution.
The proposed change would limit the category to processing tangible materials, commodities or products. Facilities primarily used to store, process, transmit or manage digital data through servers or other information technology equipment would fall outside that definition.
The resolution identifies concerns about energy and water use, water and air quality, noise, lighting and the effect of these facilities on residents’ quality of life. It also cites uncertainty following Gov. Kathy Hochul’s July executive order on data center development.
The November session is for public input on the proposed law.
Residents can obtain the proposal from the town clerk or the town’s website. The town has invited both residents and members of the general public to attend.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
