Mountain Home adopts emergency moratorium on data centers
Mountain Home adopted an emergency moratorium halting new data center applications and permits within city limits. The action followed resident opposition to a proposed 3.4-million-square-foot Weitz and Co. project at the Bennett Ranch Industrial Complex.
The Mountain Home City Council adopted an emergency moratorium on accepting data center applications and issuing related permits inside the Idaho city. The temporary halt followed a packed council meeting where residents urged officials to prevent large-scale data center development.
The opposition focused on a proposed Weitz and Co. project at the Bennett Ranch Industrial Complex near West Fifth North Street. The project would have included four three-story buildings totaling about 3.4 million square feet, but Mayor Rich Sykes said the company had not submitted a formal land-use application or building permit. Sykes also said data centers are not currently permitted or conditionally permitted in any city zone.