The Windom City Council adopted Ordinance 206, 2nd Series on May 19, 2026, creating detailed code provisions for data centers and a new I-3 Planned Innovation, Research & Technology overlay district across existing B-2, I-1, and I-2 zones. The ordinance adds definitions for data centers and sensitive receptors, sets lot, setback, and height standards, and requires extensive submittals on energy, cooling, water, wastewater, noise, vibration, emergency response, and waste handling before any conditional use permit is granted. This is a clear pre-development move to proactively attract and regulate data center projects, including AI and crypto-mining facilities, after a nearby county application.No specific developer has been named yet, so future projects in this district are still in planning. Vendors in data center design, electrical and mechanical systems, fiber, cooling, environmental compliance, and acoustic engineering can now position services to prospects and to the city as they review conditional use applications and shape individual projects under this framework.

Ordinance requires third-party sound and vibration studies, emergency radio coverage, detailed cooling and power plans, and allows the city to add project-specific conditions to data center CUPs.