(La Porte County, IN) - A proposed data center ordinance for La Porte County has taken a step forward.

The La Porte County Planning Commission Tuesday night recommended approval of the proposed ordinance requiring data centers go into Kingsbury Industrial Park or some other industrialized area.

The measure will now go before the La Porte County Commissioners for a final decision.

Commissioner and Planning Commission member Steve Holifield said the proposed ordinance is a good start toward keeping data centers from building on farmland or locating near residential neighborhoods in the unincorporated areas of the county.

“There’s an awful lot of things in there that if people read the whole thing and understand it, they’ll see we are protecting them,” he said.

Under the proposed ordinance, Holifield said any data centers wanting to locate in an industrial area would still have to receive permission from the La Porte County Board of Zoning Appeals and operate within restrictions outlined in the measure.

Holifield said he will attempt to have the proposed ordinance placed on the agenda for consideration during the next meeting of the county commissioners on May 6. The only vote cast against the proposed ordinance was from Planning Commission member Jimmy Pressel, who also serves on the La Porte County Council.