Town of Oneonta Moves Toward Data Center Ban

By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
SUNY Institute for Local News 
ONEONTA

A proposal to build a data center in the Town of Oneonta has prompted swift action from the town government, with officials signaling during the Monday, March 2 Legislative Committee meeting that they want to change zoning laws before the issue escalates into a drawn-out battle.

Rather than wait for the Eco-Yotta Inc. rezoning application to move forward, board members are considering amending zoning regulations to prohibit large-scale data centers except in cases tied directly to academic, medical or similar institutional needs. 

Across the country, data centers have drawn scrutiny for their environmental footprint.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, data centers account for roughly 2 percent of total U.S. electricity consumption—a number expected to rise as artificial intelligence and cloud computing expand. A single large facility can consume as much electricity as tens of thousands of homes and require millions of gallons of water annually for cooling systems. Communities in states like Virginia and Texas have reported increased strain on local power grids, rising utility costs, and persistent noise from cooling equipment and backup generators. 

At the town’s monthly Legislative Committee meeting, officials made clear they want to avoid those outcomes.

Town Board member Teresa DeSantis and Deputy Supervisor Patricia Riddell Kent mentioned the topic of a moratorium to allow time for study and public comment. However, other board members suggested the town may already have enough information to act decisively. 

Debate around the rezoning application for Eco-Yotta Inc.’s property at 357 County Highway 9 has dominated the town’s board meetings for almost a year, with public opinion being predominantly in opposition to the AI research facility and data center proposal.

Board member Brett Holleran recommended “to skip the process of a moratorium,” explaining that a “moratorium is created for waiting time, for thinking time, for public comment time.”  

Given what he described as a growing consensus in the community, Holleran suggested the town move directly toward clearer protections.  

He emphasized that the board does not want to unintentionally block legitimate institutional needs.

“College institutions, hospitals, educational facilities… may need something data-related,” Holleran said, adding that the goal is “to not outlaw it per se,” but to prevent large commercial facilities from operating unchecked. 

Town Supervisor Will Rivera took a firmer stance.

Rivera suggested “to put forward a motion” to ban data centers outright under current zoning and warned against leaving loopholes that could allow cryptocurrency mining operations or large server farms to move in. Later in the meeting, Rivera doubled down, saying it would be effective to “deny the zone change,” and then “pass the prohibition,” echoing concerns raised by DeSantis about preventing developers from “slipping in” and altering zoning rules. 

Board members pointed to the Town of Dryden, New York as an example. In 2024, Dryden adopted local legislation prohibiting data centers after residents raised concerns over energy demand and environmental impacts. Officials in Oneonta said Dryden’s approach demonstrated how municipalities can proactively protect their communities through zoning before large-scale development takes hold. 

For Oneonta, the debate is less about opposing technology and more about control. As Rivera put it during the meeting, the town’s responsibility is to ensure that growth does not come at the expense of locals. By pursuing zoning changes now, officials say they hope to stop the battle before it starts and ensure that any future data-related development truly serves the public interest. 

The data center moratorium topic is slated to be discussed at the monthly March town board meeting, which will be held at Oneonta Town Hall on Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. It is listed under the legislative agenda as “Discussion on introducing a local law affecting a temporary moratorium on the development, construction, and operation of data centers and commercial cryptocurrency mining operations within the town of Oneonta.” 

This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Lab, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News. 

PHOTOS 

Oneonta Town Hall at 3966 State Highway 23 was the site of the Legislative Committee meeting on March 2. (Photo by Julia DelPozzo)