Data center actions tracked this week: 31

This is the Intellivoir Sunday Briefing for Sunday, the twentieth of September, twenty twenty-six, in the data center policy realm. First, an overview of what happened since last week.

In Memphis, Tennessee, Tuesday's City Council agenda carried two very different answers to one question. Ordinance fifty-nine eighty-two, a temporary moratorium on zoning, land use and building permits for data center developments, was listed for third and final reading. On the same agenda, a competing ordinance would replace a blanket moratorium with what it calls source-neutral, tiered and timed review, and a third measure would set siting standards, including a ban on routine evaporative and once-through cooling.

Richmond, California held a public hearing Tuesday on an urgency ordinance imposing a forty-five-day moratorium on new data centers. In Florida, Marion County held a public hearing on an ordinance imposing a temporary moratorium on development permits, rezonings and site plans related to data centers, and in Orange County, Commissioner Martinez Semrad asked to discuss a temporary moratorium on A I data center applications.

In Boston, an order filed September fourteenth and taken up by the City Council Wednesday would amend the zoning code to prohibit data centers in all zoning districts. The council's record shows it referred.

Portland, Oregon's council heard a resolution Wednesday urging the city administrator to refrain from signing data center non-disclosure agreements, and to notify the council of any inquiries for data center deals.

On data center rules, Louisville's Planning and Zoning Committee took up an ordinance amending the Metro land development code on data centers; the committee's record marks it recommended for approval. Temple, Texas, on Thursday, considered replacing its large and small data center categories with a single data center use, plus an accessory use, and adding new use standards. And in Prince George's County, Maryland, a council committee heard two bills on Thursday: one that would permit qualified data centers in certain rural agricultural zones, and one that would repeal their exemption from detailed site plan review.

Now, let's take a look at what's ahead this week. Thirteen governments have a moratorium, a pause or an interim control on data centers on the agenda.

On Monday, September twenty-first, Commerce City, Colorado takes up an ordinance imposing a moratorium on permit, zoning and site plan applications where a data center is the proposed primary purpose. Deltona, Florida holds the first-reading hearing on its temporary data center moratorium. Spartanburg County, South Carolina renders third reading on its moratorium on development applications for data centers. In Petersburg, Alaska, the borough assembly considers a planning commission recommendation to initiate a temporary moratorium on data center applications in Service Area One. Across the border in Ontario, Whitby's council committee takes up a data centre interim control by-law, and Peterborough's general committee considers an interim control by-law prohibiting new data centres while the city studies them. And Laredo, Texas hears an update on amending its land development code to address the adverse impacts of data center development.

On Tuesday, September twenty-second, Pima County, Arizona's Board of Supervisors considers Resolution twenty twenty-six dash fifty-six, implementing a moratorium on data center development. Lubbock, Texas has two measures on one agenda: a resolution directing the city manager to begin the process of adopting a ninety-day moratorium on rezoning, building permits and annexation requests tied to large-scale data centers, and a petition-initiated ordinance for an eighteen-month moratorium on high-water-use and high-energy-use data centers. Denton, Texas holds a public hearing on a moratorium on data center applications. North Port, Florida takes up its temporary moratorium ordinance, and Venice, Florida sets the hearing times for its own. Oakland's Life Enrichment Committee considers an urgency ordinance for a temporary moratorium on land use approvals for data centers.

Also Tuesday, three governments take up data center rules. Henry County, Virginia's Board of Supervisors considers an ordinance creating a Data Center District with its own regulations. Midwest City, Oklahoma adds data centers to its industrial use classifications and specific use regulations. And in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, the regional planning commission reviews Pine Township's draft data center ordinance, which would make the use conditional in the industrial district, define a closed-loop system, and require studies of heat, water and P J M capacity, alongside Jackson Township's comprehensive zoning revision adding data center regulations.

Also on Tuesday's agenda, Yellowstone County, Montana's commissioners write to their legislative delegation that the state's Right to Compute Act is, in their words, overbroad, and meaningfully limits the county's ability to regulate data center development. They ask the Legislature to clarify that the Act does not displace the traditional authority of counties and municipalities.

On Wednesday, September twenty-third, Baltimore's Public Health and Environment Committee holds an informational hearing on data centers' community impact and use standards. Frederick County, Virginia considers an ordinance amendment removing data centers as a permitted or conditional use in certain zoning districts. And Appleton, Wisconsin's City Plan Commission takes up Resolution eleven R twenty-six, titled Hyperscale A I Data Center Moratorium.

On Thursday, Baltimore's Land Use and Transportation Committee takes up a bill making data centers a conditional use with a required health equity assessment. Hanover County, Virginia's Community Development Committee discusses a data center ordinance: definitions, locations and zoning requirements. And Prince George's County considers a resolution asking the Maryland Public Service Commission for a three-month moratorium on utility price increases for low- and moderate-income customers.

Just beyond the week, on Monday, September twenty-eighth, Milwaukee's City Plan Commission considers a substitute ordinance for a temporary pause in the establishment and development of data centers.

From the power side, two items. Maryland's Public Service Commission is implementing a new subtitle of its regulations for large-load customers and tariffs. And in California, the grid operator's large-loads initiative now lists its draft final proposal for September twenty-fourth, with a meeting on it October first. Intellivoir now follows four hundred of these dockets, with every hearing and deadline ahead.

That's the briefing. Every agenda cited today is linked in the show notes, so you can read the record yourself. From Intellivoir, a Cartevoir service, we'll be back next Sunday.