City of Cleveland will use moratorium to learn more about data centers

The City of Cleveland recently passed a three-month moratorium on hyper-scale data centers, a measure proposed by Council member Charles Slife. The pause is intended to allow the city to better understand data center operations and determine appropriate zoning and locations for such facilities, as the current zoning code is nearly a century old and lacks specific definitions for modern data centers. Slife noted the need to identify areas where large data facilities would be appropriate versus those where they might be intrusive, noisy, or strain the power grid.

This action comes amidst strong opposition from grassroots organizations like Conserve Ohio, led by Laura Beans Sika. Conserve Ohio advocates for an amendment to the state constitution to ban hyper-scale data centers, citing concerns over their substantial daily water consumption, which they estimate at 1 to 5 million gallons of fresh water. Residents and activists are calling for extensive research and formal environmental studies during the moratorium period, with some hoping for an extension beyond three months if objectives are not met.

Conversely, Beiju Shah, CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, views data center expansion as a crucial opportunity for economic growth, especially in an AI-powered economy. Shah emphasized that companies choose locations with necessary infrastructure and highlighted that newer data centers often employ closed-loop cooling systems to mitigate environmental impact on local water sources. He cautioned against missing out on this economic anchor, which could attract other businesses to the region.