Edgewater to weigh permanent data center ban

Edgewater city leaders are set to decide Monday whether residents should have the final say on a proposed permanent ban on data centers within city limits.If commissioners approve the proposal, the measure will appear on the November ballot, allowing voters to decide whether to permanently prohibit the construction, expansion, operation or approval of new data centers in Edgewater.Unlike a temporary moratorium, the proposal would establish a lasting prohibition on data centers and would also prevent the city from adopting future policies that would allow them.The proposal comes as data centers continue to expand across the country to support growing demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies, including platforms such as ChatGPT.At a recent commission meeting, several residents voiced concerns about the potential impact large-scale data centers could have on the community.“I haven’t seen too much positives other than the fact that it’s just ChatGPT, which I’m in