New Braunfels eyes ordinance changes to curb data centers
New Braunfels city officials are considering ordinance changes that would define data centers, require special use permits and impose setbacks and environmental development standards. The proposed rules come as nearby projects in Guadalupe County face a lawsuit and amid statewide concerns about data center impacts on electricity, water and infrastructure.
The New Braunfels City Council directed staff to draft regulations making data center development more restrictive. Proposed changes would require a base industrial zoning district and a Type 2 special use permit, allowing the council to review sites and receive public input. Staff also recommended 500-foot setbacks from homes and other sensitive uses, detailed site plans, specified cooling systems and prohibitions on development in flood-prone areas or over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.
Mayor Michael French said he does not want New Braunfels water or electricity used to supply data centers and called for strict controls on light pollution. No data centers are currently under construction within the city, but the nearby Cloudburst and Palomino Alpha projects in Guadalupe County are the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Data Center Action Coalition and local residents against the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court. The council is scheduled to consider the ordinance on first reading Nov. 9 and final consideration Nov. 16.