Clearfield Pauses Data Center Development for 180 Days to Study Zoning Rules
Clearfield City Council in Utah unanimously voted to enact a 180-day moratorium on all data center development within the city. This freeze allows officials to study land-use and infrastructure issues and draft zoning regulations, as the city's code currently lacks definitions for data centers. The decision was influenced by concerns seen in large projects elsewhere in the state, such as the Stratos campus.
Clearfield City Council in Utah has unanimously approved a 180-day moratorium on all data center development within the city. This decision, made on September 8, aims to provide city officials with time to establish comprehensive zoning rules and address potential land-use and infrastructure challenges associated with data centers. Currently, Clearfield's city code lacks a definition or specific zoning classification for such facilities, which are often resource-intensive.
The preventative measure comes even though no data center projects have been proposed in Clearfield. Mayor Mark Shepherd highlighted the "grandiose scale" of the Stratos data center campus in Box Elder County as a factor influencing the council's proactive stance. City planner Tyson Stoddard emphasized that the temporary ban allows Clearfield to study characteristics like electrical demand, water consumption, and noise before drafting permanent regulations.
The moratorium in Clearfield is part of a broader trend in Northern Utah, with Logan and Iron County having enacted similar temporary bans on data center and power plant development. The Stratos project, a massive 20,000-acre complex in Hansel Valley with up to 9 gigawatts of power, faces significant opposition due to concerns over natural gas power plants, water usage, and environmental impact on the Great Salt Lake basin. A lawsuit is pending regarding a referendum to halt the Stratos project, and over 3,700 community members have protested water rights transfers for the site.
The state's Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) had previously greenlit the Stratos project area. The ongoing debate over data center regulation in Utah also involves state lawmakers considering energy infrastructure and water use policies, with six Utah organizations advocating for a statewide pause on data center development.