Council moves to block data centers in the city
Escondido City Council has unanimously adopted a 45-day emergency moratorium on new data centers and expansions within the city. This temporary ban allows staff time to research potential impacts such as water, power, land consumption, and noise, and to draft permanent regulations. The proactive measure addresses concerns about inadequate city building codes for such facilities.
The Escondido City Council voted 5-0 at its August 26 meeting to adopt an urgency moratorium, effectively prohibiting new data centers and the expansion or intensification of existing facilities for 45 days. This moratorium, which can be extended, was introduced by Senior Planner Garret Smith from the City’s Development Services Dept., who noted it is a proactive measure not in response to any current pending applications.
Smith highlighted several potential impacts necessitating the pause, including high water demands (estimated at 200 million-1 billion gallons/year for hyperscale data centers), strain on power and grid capacity, significant land consumption, noise pollution, and potential tradeoffs in tax base and job creation. He emphasized that the city's current building code lacks sufficient definitions and regulations for data centers, necessitating time for staff to research, consult stakeholders, and draft appropriate permanent ordinances. Staff are expected to provide an update to the council on October 10.
Councilmember Christian Garcia requested the item due to constituent concerns, which were echoed by Councilmember Consuelo Martinez. Mayor Dane White also suggested supporting California Senate Bill 886, which proposes special tariffs to protect utility customers from bearing the costs of grid upgrades for large data centers. City Attorney Mike McGuinness explained the emergency nature of the moratorium, likening it to a similar pause on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) adopted in July, citing public health, safety, and quality of life concerns as the basis.