City Council expected to consider 1-year data center moratorium by end of year
Evanston officials are considering a one-year moratorium that would suspend city incentives and zoning approvals for data centers. The proposal follows Lark Management’s application to convert a former industrial building on Hartrey Avenue into a computer processing center, which city staff said does not currently comply with zoning rules.
The Evanston Referrals Committee sent Ald. Krissie Harris’ proposal for a one-year data center moratorium to the Land Use Commission. The measure would pause city financial incentives and zoning approvals for data centers, with several council members expressing a desire to finalize it by the end of the year.
The proposal follows Lark Management’s application to build a 20,000-square-foot computer processing center at 1265 Hartrey Ave. City staff determined the project does not qualify under existing zoning regulations and requested more information from the applicant. Mayor Daniel Biss and other council members support formalizing the pause, although Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma said existing zoning restrictions already function as a de facto moratorium.