Taylor, Marshall offer different visions for Reno’s future | Pat Hickey
A Reno mayoral opinion column compares Kathleen Taylor and Kate Marshall’s views on the city’s future and data center development. Taylor favors regulating data centers through updated city codes while opposing projects with excessive water use, higher electricity costs, or residential tax abatements; Marshall opposes hyperscale data centers because of heat and climate concerns.
Reno mayoral candidates Kathleen Taylor and Kate Marshall presented sharply different positions on data center growth in the city. Taylor said she had moved in the Reno City Council to include data center regulations in the city code update and would oppose projects that use excessive water, raise ratepayers’ energy bills or rely on tax abatements in residential areas. She said she would not support a moratorium and instead favored finding common ground through regulation.
Marshall argued that Reno cannot afford hyperscale data centers, citing the city’s rapid warming, concerns about heat mitigation and the industry’s potential effect on quality of life. The candidates also discussed housing, public safety, economic development and the need for alternative industries, including drone manufacturing and health care. The article is an opinion column by former Nevada legislator Pat Hickey rather than a report on a specific data center project.