City planning staff presented a zoning change and concept plan request to allow a data center use at the Constellation Rock Island site, a roughly 16.8‑acre property at the southwest corner of Rock Island and Hard Rock Road, and recommended approval with several conditions during the Jan. 27 Planning and Zoning Commission staff briefing.

Staff said the request would add “data center” as an allowed land use in the site's planned development district and defined it in the concept materials as a facility to house computer servers and associated components “for the remote storage, processing, and distribution of large amounts of data for use by off-site end users.” The concept plan presented shows an approximately 4,100‑square‑foot, two‑story data center building, parking, on‑site generators and a proposed guard shack, with a possible future electrical substation area.

Development Review Committee conditions presented by staff included: a prohibition on cryptocurrency mining as part of the planned development district; that the generator yard be enclosed and screened by a concrete wall as depicted on the concept plan; that development of office/warehouse uses follow the applicable UDC appendix while the proposed plan development standards apply only to the data center use; a minimum 8‑foot masonry screening wall along the southern property line adjacent to residential uses; and a minimum 35‑foot landscape buffer that includes a double row of offset trees and shrubs intended to achieve opaque screening. Staff also noted proposed changes to landscaping and parking ratios to reflect that data center use typically requires fewer on‑site employees and that the request increases allowable building height to 140 feet under the proposed standards.

Commissioners asked about proximity to a nearby mobile home park and noise from generator equipment. Planning staff said property‑owner notifications were sent and that a noise study submitted by the applicant was reviewed by the city's public health/environmental quality department and met local noise standards; that department supplied no additional conditions. Commissioners also discussed the future substation area; staff said applicants commonly coordinate with the local utility (referred to in the briefing as Encore) on generation and substation needs and that a substation could be installed by the applicant or utility at a later date.

Staff concluded that the proposed plan development district would let the property either pursue the data center end user or proceed with a typical office/warehouse build if the data center option is not selected. The staff briefing did not include a vote; any public hearing and formal action will occur at the commission's regular meeting.