Oakland City Council prepares vote on data center moratorium
Oakland City Council is preparing to vote on a proposed 45-day temporary moratorium on approvals for data center development and operations. Councilmember Carroll Fife says the pause would give the city time to establish rules addressing electricity costs, water use, noise and other community concerns, following protests and an online petition seeking a broader ban.
Oakland City Council is scheduled to vote on a 45-day interim urgency ordinance that would temporarily halt city approvals and land-use agreements for data centers. The proposal was introduced by Councilmember Carroll Fife after community protests and an online petition calling for a ban on data centers in Oakland.
The discussion was prompted in part by an informal proposal from a company to convert the ground floor of a downtown building on Thomas L. Berkeley Way at Broadway into an IT data center, with offices on the upper floors. Fife said the project remains in its early stages and that Oakland lacks clear data center provisions in its general plan and planning code. She described the moratorium as a possible first step toward clearer rules, citing concerns about electricity rates, water consumption and noise, while stopping short of committing to a permanent ban.