{"id":773464,"date":"2026-06-09T05:39:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&p=773464"},"modified":"2026-06-09T05:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:39:56","slug":"community-sentiment-site-selection","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/community-sentiment-site-selection","title":{"rendered":"The New Site Selection Factor Companies Are Analyzing: Community Sentiment"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[493505,160952,471991,238001],"department":[476822],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-773464","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-data-centers","tag-infrastructure","tag-market-analysis","tag-site-selection","department-data-and-ai"],"acf":{"short_description":"New laws are blocking construction of data centers and other infrastructure. Data-rich maps help businesses find receptive communities.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Rumbles of discontent over certain forms of commercial development are beginning to change the nature of business planning in cities, towns, and rural communities across the country and the world<\/a>."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"Snapshot<\/strong>: As community sentiment becomes a hot-button issue for providers of energy, data centers, and storage, executives turn to maps for a clear-eyed view of business planning.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"This spring, lawmakers in Maine passed a bill containing the nation\u2019s first statewide moratorium on data centers (though it was ultimately vetoed<\/a> by the governor). At least 10 more states<\/a> are considering bans. In Texas, Van Zandt County passed a temporary moratorium on all green energy projects<\/a>, including wind, solar, and battery storage.\r\n\r\nEven the facilities that house Americans\u2019 extra stuff have come in for scrutiny, with bans on self-storage units popping up<\/a> in Rhode Island and other locales.\r\n\r\nAmid this flurry of state and local legislation, business leaders are turning to an enterprise software\u2014geographic information system (GIS) technology\u2014that their teams already use for precision-guided site selection and market analysis. Through mapping and analytics, GIS<\/a> provides insight into community sentiment and helps companies adjust growth strategies.\r\n

Build It Somewhere\u2014Just Not Here<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nResidents in increasingly vocal communities may support clean energy and understand that data centers are part of the critical infrastructure enabling American innovation. They\u2019d just prefer that the facilities\u2014which could introduce the rumble<\/a> of gas turbines or the blinking lights<\/a> of wind turbines\u2014be built elsewhere.\r\n\r\nLocation analysts help companies anticipate where backlash may occur by exploring psychographic data<\/a>. While demographic data dissects a population by income, age, and ethnicity, psychographic analysis provides insight into values, motivations, and preferences."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"Careers in Focus<\/strong>\r\n\r\nJoin speakers from Blue Origin, Navy Federal Credit Union, and Topgolf to learn what it means to be a geospatial transformer<\/a> in today\u2019s business world.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Banks, for instance, have used psychographics to assess where customers will adopt self-service banking<\/a>. A similar sentiment analysis could indicate whether a farming community will be open to solar projects\u2014or view them as a nuisance.\r\n\r\nStrategic planning that does not account for local sentiment invites business risk. Even if a state is known for lenient regulations, homeowners and businesses may be on different wavelengths. Frustrated residents have ousted officials<\/a> who supported unpopular development plans.\r\n

Mapping Construction Hot Spots\u2014and Development Deserts<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nExecutives routinely use GIS maps and dashboards to evaluate business environments at the national and local levels. A heat map of permitting data could indicate promising markets for certain developers. Virginia, for example, issued 1,239 permits linked to data centers<\/a> between 2024 and 2025, according to a construction intelligence firm\u201480 percent of all related permits in the country.\r\n\r\nConversely, companies can identify markets that are a poor fit for construction by mapping cities and counties that have passed moratoriums or community bans on certain corporate activities. Executives used<\/a> similar techniques to keep tabs on business locations during the COVID-19 pandemic, when local lockdowns rapidly changed where and how businesses could operate."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Related Read:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\/\/ Shining new light<\/a> on site selection","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"GIS maps enriched with zoning data help businesses narrow site selection searches to the areas approved for industrial construction. For example, some cities have not banned self-storage facilities outright\u2014but have created zoning that keeps facilities off main streets or away from residential neighborhoods.\r\n

The Art of Staying Above the Fray<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nNavigating the cultural and political shifts of the moment is a tricky task for business leaders who largely wish to remain neutral.\r\n\r\nLocation intelligence from maps and analysis helps companies track the trends that most impact their operations. Firms can monitor hot-button legislative issues<\/a> that may prove divisive in the communities they serve.\r\n\r\nGIS is already the go-to technology for site selection. By using maps to analyze permitting and zoning data and visualize the changing nature of community sentiment, leaders can ensure that market planning accounts for all the realities of today\u2019s business landscape."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nCommunity Sentiment Invades Business Planning<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the dynamics of community sentiment shift for data center owners and others, execs search for a clear view of on-the-ground realities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/community-sentiment-site-selection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The New Site Selection Factor Companies Are Analyzing: Community Sentiment\" \/>\n<meta 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