Mountain Home city council passes emergency moratorium on data centers
Mountain Home City Council unanimously passed an emergency moratorium blocking data center applications and permits for up to 182 days. The action followed resident concerns about a proposed four-building project at the Bennett Ranch Industrial Campus, particularly its potential impact on the city’s water supply and the community’s lack of advance notice.
Mountain Home leaders unanimously approved an emergency moratorium preventing the city from accepting data center applications or issuing permits. The move followed residents’ concerns about the proposed Hub project, which developer Dan White described in documents as four three-story data center buildings on 250 acres at the Bennett Ranch Industrial Campus near Mountain Home Airport.
Mayor Rich Sykes said the documents submitted by White were not a formal application and that data centers are currently neither permitted nor conditional uses in any city zoning district, although the developer could seek a zone change. Residents, including Dara Corvis, criticized the city’s transparency and urged officials to permanently prohibit data centers, citing potential strain on the municipal water system and cooling-related water demand.
Under Idaho law, the emergency moratorium can remain in effect for up to 182 days. The city is also considering code changes to define data centers and establish where they could be located, if allowed at all. Project representatives did not respond to KTVB’s request for comment.