BRANDENBURG, Ky. (WDRB) -- A proposed artificial intelligence data center in Meade County is drawing pushback from nearby residents who said they want more information before the project moves forward.
The 138-acre site, located along Joe Prather Highway near Brandenburg, could be rezoned to light industrial use to make way for the facility. Meade County Planning and Zoning will hold a special meeting Tuesday morning at the county fairgrounds to consider the proposal.
Tyler Campbell, who moved into a nearby home in December, said he only learned about the potential development two weeks ago.
"I was upset," Campbell said. "It's going to ruin my property, pretty much. I do IT. I deal with that type of stuff. I know the kind of things that happen with these data centers."
The property's owner confirmed he's been in discussions with the county about selling the land and a data company has expressed interest. Planning and Zoning officials declined to comment on the project.
Mark Swimm, who lives nearby, said residents in the rural area want to preserve its farmland and fear the impact a data center could have on utilities and the environment.
"We're here in a rural area. This is farm country. That's the way we want to keep it," Swimm said. "They are going to (raise rates) anyway but they are going to go up drastically — quickly. It's not something we want right now."
Other data centers are coming to the Kentuckiana area, including facilities in Jeffersonville's River Ridge Commerce Center and Jefferson County. Developers in Oldham County recently withdrew a similar proposal after community opposition.
"Honestly, if it was something else over there that wasn't a data center, I would be a lot more willing to accept that," Campbell said.
A Change.org petition has more than 1,600 signatures in opposition to it.
If the Meade County Planning and Zoning Commission approves the rezoning request, the proposal will move to the county's fiscal court for consideration Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Meade County courthouse.
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