Islip, NY Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted district
- IMU-I Industrial subdistrict only
- Subdistrict cap
- 1,500,000 sq ft developable, shared use
- Governing article
- Zoning Ch. 68, Art. LIV (IMUPDD)
- Overlay origin
- Added 3-27-2014, Islip Pines master plan
- Outside IMU-I
- not a listed permitted use anywhere else
Summary
Islip zoning permits data centers only within the IMU Industrial (IMU-I) subdistrict of the Islip Mixed-Use Planned Development District, an overlay tied to the Islip Pines Revised Conceptual Master Plan. Electronic storage facilities and computer-server hosting are a listed permitted use there, capped by the subdistrict's 1,500,000-square-foot development ceiling.
A. IMU-I Industrial. (1) Permitted uses: ... (c) Electronic storage facilities, such as data centers, and facilities for computer server hosting. (d) Uses commonly referred to as "back office," including information technology, mail and package sorting, and telephone call centers and support.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4826765; v112 updated 2026-02-24; through 02-24-2026).
Full Breakdown
Article LIV of the Zoning chapter creates the Islip Mixed-Use Planned Development District (IMUPDD), added March 27, 2014 to implement the Islip Pines Revised Conceptual Master Plan. Section 68-717 divides the IMUPDD into seven named subdistricts, Industrial (IMU-I), Services (IMU-S), Residential (IMU-RES), Entertainment (IMU-E), Civic (IMU-C), Retail (IMU-RET) and Flex (IMU-FLEX), each with its own permitted-use list and square-footage or unit cap. Section 68-719A(1) lists the by-right permitted uses within IMU-I Industrial, and Subsection (c) names 'Electronic storage facilities, such as data centers, and facilities for computer server hosting' alongside office, research-and-development, manufacturing, warehouse/distribution and similar industrial uses.
Under § 68-717A, the IMU-I subdistrict's total developable square footage may not exceed 1,500,000 square feet, a ceiling shared with every other permitted use in that subdistrict rather than a data-center-specific allowance. No other article or subdistrict in the Town's Zoning chapter lists electronic storage facilities or data centers among its permitted, accessory or special-permit uses, so a data center proposed anywhere in Islip outside the IMU-I subdistrict would fall outside the Zoning chapter's list of permitted uses for that district and would need Zoning Board of Appeals relief rather than routine site-plan approval.
Development within IMUPDD subdistricts otherwise proceeds under an approved conceptual master plan reviewed by the Planning Board under § 68-716C, and § 68-713 requires a forty-foot landscaped buffer and an eight-foot sound-attenuation wall or fence adjacent to any residential zone or use, standards that would apply to a data center's mechanical and cooling equipment.
Violations & Fines
Data-center or server-hosting proposals in IMU-I still go through the Planning Board's site-plan process under Article LIV, including the buffer, screening and exterior-lighting standards of §§ 68-713 and 68-723. A facility proposed outside the IMU-I subdistrict, or one that would push the subdistrict past its 1,500,000-square-foot cap, is not a permitted use and requires either a master-plan amendment or Zoning Board of Appeals relief before a building permit can issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Islip can a data center be built?
Is there a size cap on data centers in Islip?
What review does a data center go through in IMU-I?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Islip
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