Pacific approves yearlong hold on data centers
The Pacific Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a year-long moratorium on new data center applications. This decision, influenced by resident opposition, allows the city time to conduct land use studies and update zoning regulations. An additional ordinance was passed requiring zoning changes and land annexation to be heard concurrently.
The Pacific Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to enact a one-year moratorium on new data center applications, a decision that followed a year of campaigning by local residents. Approved on Tuesday, August 4, the ordinance institutes a 12-month "stay of acceptance" for all data center projects, regardless of their size. This halt is intended to provide the city with sufficient time to conduct a proper land use study, facilitate effective community engagement, update its comprehensive plan if necessary, and consider appropriate zoning amendments or other actions.
More than half a dozen residents presented to the board, urging them to vote in favor of the yearlong stay, which gives the board more time to develop specific regulations for data centers. Concurrently, the board also passed an ordinance requiring that applications for zoning changes and land annexation be heard at the same time.