Dubuque council delays data center moratorium to tighten proposed ordinance

The Dubuque City Council has postponed a decision on a proposed six-month data center moratorium, opting to spend two weeks incorporating amendments into the draft ordinance. The revised ordinance aims to impose stricter limits, including a 5,000-server cap for facilities to avoid being classified as hyperscale data centers, which would then be subject to the moratorium. An additional provision, championed by Council Member Katy Wethal, would prevent the city from annexing land for data center development during the moratorium's duration.

Despite Mayor Brad Cavanagh's assertion that no data center proposals are currently within city limits, concerns stem from a developer, Karis, who previously explored a potential site south of the city. Karis's zoning application for that project was incomplete before Dubuque County supervisors enacted their own 12-month moratorium in May. The city's proposed ordinance also maintains limits on energy usage (75 megawatts), water consumption (50 gallons per minute), and a square footage cap of 100,000 square feet, designed to target large-scale data centers while not hindering smaller businesses.

Local resident Wayne Kohlenberg urged the council to adopt a 12-month moratorium, citing the rapidly evolving data center market and potential future federal and state regulations. A recent city survey indicated that 76% of respondents opposed hyperscale data center development. While Council Members Wethal and Danny Sprank favored a longer 12-month moratorium, the majority opted for six months, with the possibility of extension, to mitigate potential legal exposure for the city, as advised by City Attorney Crenna Brumwell.