GLASGOW, Ky. — Across Barren County, local governments are beginning to update zoning regulations as interest grows statewide in large-scale data center development.

In Cave City, officials will soon consider proposed text amendments to the city’s zoning ordinance aimed at giving the city more control over data center placement.

The Joint City-County Planning Commission voted during a special-called meeting April 30 to revise ordinance language, a move officials say would clarify whether data centers can locate within certain areas of the city.

“Currently, the way the zoning reads, a data center can go anywhere within our city limits,” said Leticia Cline, one of six council members in Cave City.

Cline said “major investors” have been in Barren County over the past five months searching for property tied to a potential data center project. She said those representatives are working on behalf of an “undisclosed company.”

The discussion comes as data center-related development continues to expand across the country, including a $76 million investment in Glasgow by Tate, a manufacturer of data center infrastructure, which plans to open a facility in the former R.R. Donnelley building.

Barren County Judge/Executive Jamie Byrd said she is not aware of any specific projects currently seeking to locate in the county, but acknowledged growing statewide interest driven by demand for data centers.

While not an “imminent threat,” Byrd said county officials plan to discuss whether similar limitations should be considered at the county level, and she supports Cave City’s efforts to be proactive.

“We want to protect our citizens,” Byrd said, citing concerns about Mammoth Cave, local waterways and potential impacts on electric rates.

Unlike Cave City and other cities in the county, Barren County does not have countywide planning and zoning, a gap officials have pointed to before.

After a solar farm development began in west Barren County, magistrates approved guidelines for solar projects, but only after the development was already underway and not subject to those rules.

In Cave City, the proposed text amendment to the existing ordinance would allow the city to place restrictions on or effectively challenge a data center proposal if officials determine it is not appropriate for the community.

“A lot of people are confused by this, but it’s actually a good thing and we need to be proactive about it,” Cline said, adding she is opposed to any data center development in Cave City, particularly given its proximity to Mammoth Cave National Park.

Mayor Dwayne Hatcher said he requested the ordinance update to establish clearer “guardrails,” but declined to say whether the effort is tied to any specific potential project.

“There’s nothing official,” Hatcher said. “I’d rather not comment because it’s ultimately up to the council. Data centers are questionable in some minds.”

The proposed changes are still subject to final approval by the Cave City Council.

Planning and Zoning Director Kevin Myatt said Glasgow and Park City have previously amended their zoning ordinances to restrict data center development to I2 heavy industrial zones.

In those areas, data centers are treated as conditional uses, requiring review by the local board of adjustments for each proposal.

Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse said the city has not seen any interest related to potential data center projects.

Taken together, the changes point to a broader shift among local governments in the region as they try to set rules in place before large-scale data center projects show up, rather than reacting after development proposals are already on the table.