Issue Brief | Building Local Governance Structures for Evaluating Data Center Proposals

September 3, 2026
by Melissa Birchard

Five steps local governments can take to prepare for decisions about data centers

Local governments across the country are responding to the prospect of data center development, as well as growing public concerns about what that development might mean for communities. They’re taking steps such as defining the term “data center” in code, updating zoning ordinances, and identifying local environmental, energy, and economic priorities. Some jurisdictions are adopting moratoriums on development while they consider the community’s goals and priorities. In a new issue brief, "Building Local Governance Structures for Evaluating Data Center Proposals," the Georgetown Climate Center describes five steps communities can take to prepare for decisions about data centers and discusses implementation options. It also identifies some resources and examples that can be helpful.

The five steps are:

Form a data center workgroup that engages community members and stakeholders to identify top local priorities to reflect in zoning and tax policy, as well as community benefits frameworks;
Assess environmental constraints, such as water quality and availability, by partnering with environmental officials at the state level and in neighboring counties;
Assess energy access, including both opportunities and challenges presented by the local energy system, working with state energy officials and local utilities;
Update zoning and tax ordinances to reflect local priorities, including environmental and energy concerns.
Establish a community benefits framework that can serve as a roadmap for documenting community priorities.

While GCC’s issue brief addresses the concerns associated with data center development, this general framework can be applied any time major new infrastructure is proposed in areas that do not yet have governance and decision making structures well tailored to evaluate those proposals.