Broken Arrow to consider pause on new data centers
The City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is considering a 6-month moratorium on new data centers. This proposal by City Manager Michael Spurgeon aims to allow the city to study the potential impacts of such facilities on the community, including electricity, water, noise, traffic, and public infrastructure. The discussion follows the cancellation of a proposed data center project in the area.
The City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, announced it will consider a six-month moratorium on new data center developments during its City Council meeting on Monday, June 15. City Manager Michael Spurgeon recommended the pause to allow the city to study the comprehensive impacts data centers could have on the community.
Should the moratorium be approved, it would immediately halt the acceptance of land use development applications for data centers for half a year. During this period, the city plans to investigate issues such as electrical consumption and potential rate impacts, water demand, noise generation, traffic, state-level tax exemptions, and increased demands on public infrastructure. This consideration comes shortly after a planned 52-acre data center project in east Broken Arrow fell through.