DATA CENTER RADAR · Sep 12, 2026 · Updated Oct 14, 2026
A development stage should tell you what has happened—and what still needs evidence. In Radar, status is a recorded research classification. Open the linked source before treating a label as a current fact.
Announced or planned
These labels describe an intention or proposal in the research record. Look for an identified site, a named proponent, and a dated announcement or planning application. An announcement alone does not establish approvals, a construction start, or a contractor award.
Approved or permitted
Ask exactly what was approved. A zoning action, a site plan, and a building permit address different parts of development. Check the issuing authority, conditions, project phase, and effective date. Later actions may alter an earlier decision.
Under construction
Look for evidence tied to physical work and the named phase: an owner update, an applicable permit record, or dated reporting. Site preparation and completion of a first building are different milestones. Neither establishes the capacity or completion date of an entire campus.
On hold or subject to a moratorium
Keep the reason and date visible. A paused proposal, a temporary regulatory restriction, and a permanent cancellation should not be treated as interchangeable. The Troy briefing shows how separate meeting records change the interpretation.
Read data center approvals one document at a time
For permitting, zoning and public-hearing research, record the event type, deciding body, event date, source, current disposition and date last checked. Keep the decision tied to its site or phase.
Application or proposal
Identify the applicant, site, requested use and filing date. A submitted application records a request; it does not establish approval.
Scheduled public hearing
Check the deciding body, agenda, site and scheduled date. A hearing notice does not establish that the hearing occurred or that a decision was made.
Planning recommendation
Read the recommendation and any conditions. Establish which body makes the final decision; a recommendation is not the same as an adopted approval.
Regional review
Keep regional comments separate from the local decision. Georgia’s DRI process communicates potential cross-jurisdiction effects; a regional report does not establish local zoning approval or permission to build.
Adopted ordinance or resolution
Check the signed or adopted text, effective date, geographic scope and exceptions. Later amendments or extensions need their own evidence.
Conditional approval
Read the adopted conditions, deadlines and work covered. Approval establishes the decision; evidence that conditions were satisfied, permits issued or construction began must be checked separately.
Building or other permit
Check what work and phase the permit covers, its conditions and subsequent status. Zoning approval and a building permit answer different questions.
Lawsuit or court decision
Separate a filing and its allegations from a court order. A lawsuit alone does not establish that construction stopped or that an approval was overturned.
Withdrawal or cancellation
Identify exactly what was withdrawn: an application, a permit request, a phase or the entire proposal. Do not turn a withdrawn request into a permanent project cancellation without supporting evidence.
A moratorium is a temporary restriction whose scope and present effect need checking. Confirm the jurisdiction, effective text, exceptions and any later decision. A recorded approval event does not automatically change the project stage or establish a delay.
Keep one row per approval question
A single search portal cannot certify that every required approval exists. Ask the responsible authority which permissions apply to the proposed work, then retain separate evidence for each decision. Leave a missing or unclear result unresolved.
| Field | Entry to establish |
|---|---|
| Authority and program | Responsible city, county, state or other body: ________ |
| Identity and reference | Applicant, site or parcel, case or permit identifier: ________ |
| Work covered | Building, phase and exact scope: ________ |
| Document and disposition | Application, recommendation, adopted decision or issued permit; dated outcome: ________ |
| Conditions and later actions | Conditions, deadlines, amendments, hearings or withdrawal still to resolve: ________ |
| Evidence and next question | Source URL/document date, date checked, missing evidence and responsible party: ________ |
Read a portal's coverage and update notes before interpreting absence. For example, North Carolina DEQ's tracker removes applications 30 days after a final decision. That absence does not establish a denial, cancellation or waiver. Follow the underlying document and later disposition.
The official application and permit record resources provide selected starting points. Keep environmental records separate from local land-use and building permissions; an approval for one work scope does not settle another.
Blank register and portal example reviewed October 13, 2026; no project approvals were assessed by this workflow update.
Summarize an approval without changing its meaning
Fictional source wording: these examples illustrate a research method and describe no Radar project or actual decision.
| Document says | Supported summary | Question still open |
|---|---|---|
| Staff recommends approval of Phase A | Staff recommended approval of the named phase. | What did the deciding body adopt, with which conditions and effective date? |
| Permit issued for grading on Parcel A | The document permits the specified grading work. | Which separate building or other permissions apply, and is actual work documented? |
| Applicant withdraws the Phase B rezoning request | The named rezoning request was withdrawn. | What evidence establishes the position of another phase or the whole proposal? |
Retain the source's wording in your notes. A useful summary identifies the authority, action, scope and date before explaining what remains unknown. Link readers to the approval evidence register when those questions need separate records.
Use this guide as a source
Use this guide to explain how to distinguish an application, recommendation, decision, hearing and withdrawal. The checklists are Data Center Radar's editorial research method. They do not establish a particular project's current status or a complete inventory of its permissions.
Reference: Data Center Radar. Announced. Approved. Under construction. Know the difference.. Research workflow updated October 14, 2026. Include the date you accessed the page and link to the relevant section.
For a project claim, cite its underlying document as well: publisher or authority, document title and date, page or reference, exact site or phase, and the date checked. Keep a forecast, recorded decision and completed work distinct. State any conditions, later action or unresolved conflict that changes the meaning.
Find the right approval resource
Georgia’s official DRI explanation separates regional communication from local authority. In Virginia, Loudoun County’s land-use review guide identifies legislative application types and hearing resources. Match the actual locality before using either pathway. Explore the Georgia research context and Virginia research context alongside the existing public previews.
Turn local-risk research into a specific next question
For access, utility capacity, water, noise or other local concerns, identify the source, site and condition being discussed. Distinguish a comment or proposed condition from an adopted requirement. Check later documents for amendments, withdrawal or a court order before claiming a delay or changed approval. For outreach, record the next decision to watch rather than treating an approval as procurement availability.
Regional and local approval resources reviewed October 11, 2026; project source-check dates remain separate.
Try the public Troy, Illinois approval history
Troy’s history separates a council position, adoption of a moratorium and a later extension recommendation. The source check dates remain visible; the historical records do not establish the restriction’s present effect.
Three questions for your next project review
- What source supports this specific claim?
- Which site, building, or phase does it describe?
- When did the event happen, and when was the source reviewed?
Explore the project directory with those questions in mind →