The Delaware County Zoning Board has denied a request from a Bitcoin mining facility to rezone its property from agricultural to light industrial status. The board voted 3-1 Wednesday to deny the rezoning change. Compass Mining, a company that provides Bitcoin mining hardware, operates a facility west of Hopkinton. When the company first submitted its zoning application, it listed the operation as an agriculture operation. After county supervisors learned it was a cryptocurrency mining facility, they directed the company to seek rezoning as a light industrial operation. Under the county’s zoning ordinance, neither agricultural nor light industrial operations are permitted to produce offensive noise or vibrations. KCRG reports Neighbors who attended the meeting, say the facility has been a noise nuisance since it opened. The rezoning request now goes to the Delaware County Board of Supervisors, which has the authority to override the zoning commission’s decision. The board’s next meeting is August 24. If the board of supervisors upholds the zoning commission’s denial, the county attorney could issue Compass Mining a cease and desist order, which would force the company to close the facility.
