Palm Beach County reconsiders data center rules as Project Tango awaits final approval
Palm Beach County commissioners are reconsidering data center regulations as they prepare to decide whether Project Tango, a proposed 202-acre AI data center in Loxahatchee, can proceed. PBA Holdings secured preliminary administrative approval to expand the project, but final approval from the County Commission is still required amid resident opposition and environmental concerns.
PBA Holdings used a 2016 master plan to obtain preliminary administrative approval for Project Tango, expanding the proposed AI data center in Palm Beach County from 200,000 to nearly 700,000 square feet across three buildings. The maneuver followed the County Commission’s 5-1 rejection of the proposal in July and occurred before a countywide moratorium on new data centers took effect.
The project remains subject to final County Commission approval. Commissioners have imposed conditions including a 60-decibel noise limit, a 100,000-gallon daily water cap using a closed-loop system, and an 850-foot buffer from the Arden residential community. Commissioner Maria Sachs said existing zoning rules are outdated and criticized unelected staff for having a role in the preliminary approval.
Commissioners also voted 4-1 against immediately spending nearly $225,000 on a consultant to draft new data center regulations. They plan to consider other consulting options and a public advisory task force focused on the project’s environmental and logistical impacts before making final decisions, with the one-year moratorium set to expire after the task force’s work is expected to begin.