Mount Vernon City Council approves 6-month data center moratorium
The Mount Vernon City Council has adopted a six-month moratorium on data centers, preventing the city from accepting new permit applications. This pause will allow the city to develop permanent regulations addressing concerns related to water demand, noise, sewer capacity, and flood risks within city limits.
The Mount Vernon City Council in Washington state has unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on data center development within city limits. The emergency ordinance, passed by a 6-1 vote, immediately halts the acceptance of any new permit applications for data centers. City Attorney Kevin Rogerson explained that the city's current zoning and business licensing regulations do not adequately address the potential impacts of data centers, citing concerns over water demand and usage, noise, water treatment, sewer capacity, and the catastrophic risk posed by flooding in the city's 100-year floodplain.
The temporary ban aims to provide the city's Development Services department with the necessary time to craft comprehensive, permanent regulations for data centers. Councilmember Melissa Beaton emphasized the need to "pump the brakes" to ensure the city makes informed decisions, incorporating community input and thoroughly understanding the pros and cons of such developments. According to state law, a public hearing on the moratorium must be held within 60 days.
Mount Vernon's decision follows similar actions by neighboring jurisdictions, with both Skagit County and the town of La Conner recently implementing their own data center moratoriums. As of the council's vote, Mount Vernon had not yet received any formal data center applications.