Broken Arrow City Council to Consider Six-Month Moratorium on Data Center Proposals

The Broken Arrow City Council is scheduled to consider implementing a six-month moratorium on new data center proposals during its upcoming meeting. If approved, this measure would immediately pause the acceptance of land use development applications for data center projects, allowing city leaders to evaluate their potential community impacts.

City Manager Michael Spurgeon is recommending the moratorium, stating that it provides a timely opportunity to assess data centers, especially since a letter of intent for a specific 52-acre development recently expired. During this six-month period, officials plan to examine various issues including electrical consumption, utility rate impacts, water demand, noise generation, traffic, state tax exemptions, and public infrastructure demands. The city also intends to review its zoning ordinance, which currently lacks specific provisions for data centers, to determine if updates are necessary.

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from residents, with some supporting the pause for thorough evaluation of impacts on local resources and quality of life, while others emphasize the importance of data centers for technology and economic growth, advocating for sustainable operation rather than development limits. Broken Arrow's initiative follows similar moratoriums adopted by the City of Tulsa in March and later by Oklahoma City, which inspired Broken Arrow's drafted ordinance.