TenKey LandCo data center, Franklin, Kentucky

TenKey LandCo's plan for a data center campus in Franklin, in Simpson County, Kentucky, is now in the hands of a judge. On March 3, 2026 the Franklin-Simpson Planning and Zoning Commission approved TenKey's preliminary development plan for about 200 acres on Steele Road near Exit 2 of Interstate 65: three buildings of 200,000 square feet each, built over three years, with power generation on the site. Residents packed the community room of the Franklin police department for the vote; hours of raucous, expletive-laced comment followed, and officers removed some of those present.

The vote itself went badly before it went through. Commissioner Derrick Kepley tried to table it for a third time, board attorney Bob Link ruled that tabling was no longer available, and county judge-executive Mason Barnes disputed that reading and said people in the room were talking about ethics complaints. A motion to approve found no seconder and a motion to deny tied; only then did the board vote unanimously to approve with conditions.

The conditions require TenKey to file monthly status reports with the commission, make those reports public, hold monthly meetings with planning and zoning staff, and provide more information on stormwater drainage, power generation and the regulatory framework. "We will hold your feet to the fire," chairwoman Debbie Thornton told the company.

The developer is Adam DeSimone and the company's attorney is Greg Dutton. TenKey describes the scheme as "the next generation of data infrastructure, providing high-paying jobs, generating millions in tax revenue," with closed loop cooling.

Two lawsuits now run against each other over the same ground. TenKey sued Simpson County over an ordinance requiring a conditional use permit before a data center can be built. In April a residents' group, Franklin Citizens for Responsible Development, sued to overturn the March approval, arguing the commission's decision "was arbitrary, capricious, and inconsistent with the City of Franklin Zoning Ordinance" and that only the board of adjustments can grant such a permit. Riley Bright, who owns Bright's Antique World, gave the complaint its physical form: "These generators produce a silent noise that can penetrate walls and vibrate windows."

The county case was argued in Simpson Circuit Court in August 2026, where TenKey attorney Gregory Dutton said a planning commission "controlled by the city has exclusive jurisdiction within its own borders," and the county's attorney, Aaron Smith, said the county may regulate where its rules are stricter than the city's. Judge Mark Thurmond took the matter under advisement and said he hoped to rule before an October 14, 2026 status conference; in the residents' case, TenKey argues under new state law HB 321 that the group lacks standing to appeal, so the rulings could decide both whether the county can add conditions inside Franklin and whether neighbors can challenge such projects at all.