A data center may be established only if the use is allowed in the applicable zoning district under the principal-use table; a blank district entry prohibits the use unless another approval mechanism applies.

Development, construction, occupancy, or use of a data center requires all applicable development approvals and permits before work or operation begins, including applicable land-development, building, and certificate-of-occupancy approvals.

New data centers must provide off-street parking. The listed standard for data centers is two spaces per 1,000 square feet of office area.

A new data center involving routine delivery or shipping must provide off-street loading berths. As a Business Services use, it requires one berth for 10,000 to 100,000 square feet and one additional berth for each additional 100,000 square feet or major fraction.

Data center expansions or enlargements that increase floor area must provide additional off-street parking and loading for the expanded portion.

New data-center development is subject to mobility and connectivity requirements, including a circulation plan, applicable street and access improvements, sidewalks, pedestrian connections, and other multimodal facilities.

New data-center development is generally subject to landscape-plan, tree-planting, parking-lot landscaping, screening, and buffer requirements, unless a district-specific exemption applies.

New data-center development is subject to exterior-lighting requirements, including downward full-cutoff fixtures, maximum fixture heights, underground service connections, limits on lighting uniformity and light trespass, and a maximum average parking-lot illumination of four footcandles.

Where a data center is adjacent to or across a local street or alley from a single-family residential lot, neighborhood-compatibility standards can limit building height, require pitched roofs and façade treatments, require parking setbacks and screening, regulate loading and refuse areas, and restrict the placement of drive-through facilities and signs.

Data centers in districts subject to open-space requirements must provide the minimum required open space, which varies by district and development type; for example, commercial and mixed-use development requires five percent in MR-2, MFR, and business districts and 7.5 percent in planned development districts.

A data center that includes or relies on outdoor storage must comply with outdoor-storage restrictions, including prohibitions on storing materials in circulation areas and requirements for opaque masonry screening.

Data centers are expressly recognized as a principal use within the Business Services category and are permitted by right in the zoning districts marked “P” in Table V-3, rather than requiring a conditional-use or special-exception permit. Data Center

The minimum parking requirement for a data center is 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet of office area, rather than a ratio based on the entire data-center building. Data Center 2/1,000 sf office area

A data-center applicant may seek an administrative adjustment of up to 10 percent for minimum building setbacks, minimum lot area, minimum lot width, maximum building height, or required open space, subject to the adjustment standards and limits in Table III-2. Parking adjustments must follow the separate parking provisions. Allowed Administrative Adjustments

All development is eligible for green-building incentives. With qualifying LEED Gold or equivalent certification, a project may receive one incentive, including an increase of up to one story or 12 feet in maximum height or a reduction of up to 12 percent in required parking. LEED Platinum or equivalent certification may support two incentives, subject to certification and installation requirements before occupancy. eligible to receive green building incentives

A data center may be included in a General Planned Development where the underlying property is an eligible residential or business base district and the approved PD Plan specifically permits the use. The PD Plan and Agreement may establish flexible dimensional and development standards, including modifications to parking, landscaping, open space, lighting, form and design, and other listed standards; neighborhood-compatibility modifications are prohibited at the district periphery. standards that may be modified

A data center can use a parking study to obtain up to a 60 percent reduction in the minimum off-street parking requirement, or up to a 25 percent increase in the maximum parking limit where applicable. The study must use professionally accepted methods or comparable actual-demand data and be prepared or supported as required by the ordinance. up to a 60 percent reduction

Additional parking flexibility is available through alternatives such as mixed-use shared parking, off-site parking, and qualifying on-street parking. Off-site parking may satisfy up to 40 percent of the requirement, generally within 1,200 feet for nonresidential uses, with required pedestrian access and recorded agreements. Parking Reduction Options

A lawfully established data center that later becomes nonconforming may continue operating and receive routine maintenance. A change in ownership or possession does not terminate the nonconforming status, although expansion, increased intensity or impact, and reestablishment after six consecutive months of discontinuance or 18 months within three years are restricted. Nonconformities are allowed to continue

Development approvals granted before January 1, 2025 remain valid until expiration unless revoked or substantially modified, and approved development may proceed under the terms and development standards in effect when it was approved. Approved applications