The Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission is scheduled to consider a rezoning request tonight for the 121-acre Massie Property in west Owensboro. It’s a site city officials have long identified as a future industrial park, but that has recently become tied to online speculation surrounding potential data center development.
Thursday’s agenda includes a request to rezone the property along the 3500-4300 blocks of West Parrish Avenue from A-R Rural Agriculture and I-1 Light Industrial to I-2 Heavy Industrial for the proposed development of an industrial park.
OMPC Executive Director Brian Howard said the rezoning effort predates recent public discussion surrounding data centers and is part of the city’s long-term industrial recruitment plans for the site.
“They’ve never mentioned anything about a data center,” Howard said.
Howard said Thursday’s meeting is focused specifically on rezoning the property to allow for future industrial development.
He said the property is currently split between rural agricultural and light industrial zoning classifications, and the proposal would transition the site to heavy industrial zoning.
Howard also said the rezoning is intended to help the city continue preparing the property for future industrial recruitment and infrastructure improvements.
According to the OMPC staff report, the proposal includes a conceptual industrial park layout with two access points along West Parrish Avenue and no direct access to the Wendell Ford Expressway. The report also references a completed traffic impact study reviewed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the City of Owensboro Engineering Office.
Planning staff recommended approval of the rezoning request, citing consistency with the community’s comprehensive plan and the site’s location within an Industrial Plan Area.
Howard explained that OMPC’s role is primarily tied to zoning and land-use compliance.
“The zoning ordinance has a use table in it that has essentially what uses are allowed in what zones,” Howard said.
He added that once property is properly zoned, uses permitted within that zoning classification can generally move forward so long as they comply with applicable development standards and regulations.
“If it’s zoned properly, then that use would be permitted, and they could move forward with it,” Howard said.
The Massie Property was first identified by local officials as a future industrial growth site several years ago. In August 2025, City Manager Nate Pagan said the acquisition was driven by the need for additional industrial land as the AirPark approached capacity.
At the time, Pagan said the property’s location near the bypass and existing utility access made it attractive for future economic development opportunities.
GOEDC President and CEO Claude Bacon previously described the property as “a major step forward for Owensboro’s ability to attract and land transformative economic development projects.”
Earlier this week, the City of Owensboro released a statement saying there are currently “no active data center projects being considered by the City of Owensboro” and that no formal proposal has been presented for consideration.
Meanwhile, Daviess County Fiscal Court on Thursday will hear the first reading of an ordinance that would temporarily pause the acceptance and approval of applications related to data center developments in the county for up to 12 months while officials study potential impacts and regulations.
If approved, the temporary moratorium would halt the acceptance and processing of permits and applications related to “I.T. Infrastructure Facilities,” including data centers, server farms, cloud computing facilities, and colocation centers, while additional studies and recommendations are completed. Under the proposal, OMPC would be directed to study infrastructure impacts, environmental concerns, land-use compatibility, and potential zoning regulations related to data centers.
The OMPC meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening at City Hall.
