Data centers are allowed only as a conditional use in an I-2 Heavy Industrial District, requiring Board of Zoning Appeals review; because county-administered townships generally have no I-2 parcels, an applicant would ordinarily need rezoning first. allowed only as a conditional use in I-2

A rezoning request must go through additional public review and may be subject to a referendum and public vote if the rezoning is approved. subject to a referendum and possible public vote

Data centers may not be located on karst or limestone terrain, within 50 feet of identified wetlands or prime farmland, or in a wellhead protection area. within 50 feet of identified wetlands or prime farmland

The data-center site must meet a minimum 10-acre requirement. minimum of 10 acres

Buildings must be set back at least 500 feet from property lines, 300 feet from road rights-of-way, and 1,500 feet from sensitive uses or other zoning districts; exterior exhaust stacks must be at least 1,000 feet from property lines and 2,000 feet from sensitive uses. 500 feet from any property lines

The site must use an office-like exterior design with varied materials, façade treatments, windows or faux windows, and landscaping; loading must occur at the side or rear, and parking must provide one space per employee on the largest shift plus three visitor spaces. Parking was set as 1 spot for each employee

Ground-mounted equipment may not be placed in the front yard and must be located on the side farthest from residential uses. No ground-mounted equipment would be permitted in the front yard

Lighting must be downcast and shielded, must not spill onto neighboring properties or rights-of-way, parking-lot lighting must be off at night, and security or overnight lighting is limited to specified percentages of ordinary business lighting. Lighting would need to be downcast and shielded

Parking areas, roads, and other site features must be screened with fencing, vegetation, or similar barriers; security fences may be up to 10 feet tall but may not be chain-link or barbed wire. Chain-link or barbed wire would not be permitted

Applicants must submit stormwater, noise, and vibration studies, including vibration analysis within 2,000 feet of a sensitive use, and must conduct follow-up noise testing six months after operations begin. Six months after the beginning of operation

Noise must remain within specified daytime and nighttime decibel limits at property lines, supported by baseline and projected noise analyses and mitigation recommendations. specific decibel levels to be measured at the property line

Diesel generators may be used only for backup power during outages, not as a primary or supplemental power source, and generator testing is limited to once per week between noon and 5 p.m. on weekdays. only be used as a source of backup power

Cooling must use closed-loop systems, wells may not supply the facility, and water must come from an approved public or qualifying semipublic source; discharged water must be treated as necessary and meet state water-quality requirements. Closed-loop systems would be required for cooling

Applicants must confirm available utility capacity, provide water-demand and wastewater information, and pay for utility upgrades needed to serve the facility. Utility upgrades would be the responsibility of the applicant

A conditional-use application must include site, utility, traffic, stormwater, wastewater, emissions, and power-source information; external permits; emergency-response certification; a noise analysis; and a property-value impact study covering the area within one mile. the conditional use application would need to include

Applicants must submit a decommissioning plan covering timing, costs, salvage value, and restoration, backed by financial assurance such as a letter of credit or escrow account. a decommissioning plan including timeframe, cost

Any condition that an applicant cannot satisfy requires a variance in addition to the conditional-use approval. a variance would be sought in addition to the conditional use

The facility must prevent negative thermal impacts, excessive heat, glare, lighting, vibration, and nuisance conditions from being noticeable at or beyond property lines. No negative thermal impacts past property lines would be allowed

Data centers are expressly allowed as a conditional use in I-2 Heavy Industrial districts, creating a defined zoning pathway for development. A site not already zoned I-2 must first be rezoned.

Applicants may seek a variance for a data-center condition they cannot meet, in addition to obtaining conditional-use approval.

Backup or emergency generators are permitted, allowing continued operation during power outages. Diesel generators may not be the primary power source or used to supplement insufficient grid capacity, and testing is limited to once weekly between noon and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Data centers may obtain water from the county, the City of Springfield, or an approved semipublic water system, provided the source is not a private well. This supplies permitted water-source options while prohibiting wells.

The regulations encourage the use of alternative energy sources and energy storage, allowing applicants to incorporate those systems into site operations.