The Data Center Already In Your Backyard

There are already more data centers in your community than you realize. This sounds ominous, but it’s really not.

Hospitals, schools, banks—pretty much any large organization—have operated data centers inside our communities for decades. Sometimes it’s a server room or closet. Other times, for large healthcare systems, it’s entire dedicated buildings or floors, sometimes across multiple locations to make sure critical services can be delivered. These all require electricity, air conditioners, network communication and failover.

Today’s hyperscale data centers are beasts of a different breed. They can consume those same resources, including far greater amounts of electricity and water, while providing computing resources and value to users hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Both broadly fall under the same term: data center.

Of the 47 data center-related ballot measures decided so far in 2026, voters favored restrictions on development in 46, either by approving restrictions or rejecting proposals that would have facilitated development.

In Edgewater, Florida, voters approved a charter amendment prohibiting new data centers, with more than 77% voting yes. Any changes to the prohibition will require another public referendum.

In Pennsylvania’s 24th Senate District, data centers became a central issue in the race between incumbent Tracy Pennycuick and challenger Chris Thomas. Both campaigns spent heavily on advertisements accusing the other of being too friendly with data center developers. Neither candidate supported a blanket ban, with both advocating restrictions intended to protect residents from potentially rising electricity costs.

Those results in Edgewater aren’t far from a Gallup survey from earlier this year, which found that 71% of Americans opposed local AI data center construction, including 48% who strongly opposed it.

The Data Center We Already Had

This isn’t unique to healthcare.

Same Name, Very Different Thing

So what distinguishes them?