City of Pasco to hold Sept. 8 hearing on data center rules
The Pasco City Council will hold a public hearing on September 8 to discuss new land-use rules for data centers and similar high-density computing projects. This follows a July 20 ordinance that enacted an immediate pause on new data center applications. The city aims to create specific standards reflecting community values and infrastructure capacity.
The Pasco City Council is scheduled to host a public hearing on September 8 to deliberate new regulations concerning data centers and other high-density computing facilities. This comes after the city approved an ordinance on July 20, which placed an immediate moratorium on accepting and processing development permits and business license applications for such projects, including cryptocurrency mining and AI computing facilities. The moratorium was initiated due to significant concerns regarding land area, power, water for cooling, mechanical equipment, land-use, noise, environmental impacts, and existing infrastructure.
Currently, Pasco permits data centers in I-2 and I-3 zones under general zoning rules, lacking specific standards for these facilities. The upcoming meeting aims to engage public input in a deliberate process to establish dedicated land-use regulations for data centers. These new rules are intended to align with community values, state and federal regulations, and local infrastructure capabilities. Future steps could involve more public meetings, feedback collection, and the drafting of a recommended ordinance by December 2026, followed by the adoption of an ordinance and the lifting of the moratorium within six months of its adoption. The council also retains the option to maintain the existing city code with minimal additional regulations for data centers.