Broken Arrow City Council approves 6-month moratorium on data centers
The Broken Arrow City Council has enacted a six-month moratorium on data center development, freezing new permits and approvals within city limits. This decision comes as residents voiced concerns about potential impacts like power usage, noise, and pollution. The city plans to use this time to study the pros and cons of data centers and develop formal land use guidelines.
The Broken Arrow City Council unanimously voted to approve a six-month moratorium on data center development, effective immediately. This action will halt new rezoning requests, building permits, and other development approvals for data center uses within city limits.
City Manager Michael Spurgeon stated that the council had been observing data center proposals in other cities for several months. The decision to enact the moratorium came after an unnamed company, which had initially approached the city about building a data center, decided to withdraw its application.
The moratorium received strong support from residents, many of whom attended the council meeting to voice their concerns. Resident Justin Jessop highlighted potential negative impacts such as excessive power draw, noise complaints, and air pollution from backup generators. Spurgeon affirmed that the city shares these concerns with its citizens.
During the six-month period, Broken Arrow plans to conduct comprehensive studies on data centers, including their environmental and utility impacts on water, sewer, and electricity, as well as land use implications. The city may hire consultants to assist in this process and will hold public meetings to gather resident input before making a recommendation to the council. The ordinance includes an option for the moratorium to be extended for an additional six months.