Palm Springs City Council to Consider Extending Data Center Moratorium
The Palm Springs City Council is set to consider extending a temporary moratorium on data center applications for almost two years. This extension is proposed to allow the city sufficient time to study the potential impacts of data centers and develop new land-use regulations, as current zoning codes lack specific provisions for such facilities.
The Palm Springs City Council is scheduled to deliberate on Wednesday the extension of a temporary moratorium on data center applications for an additional 22 months and 15 days. This move comes after the council unanimously approved an urgency ordinance on August 26, which imposed a 45-day ban on processing data center-related applications and permits.
City staff, including the Department of Planning Services, recommends the extension because Palm Springs' current municipal and zoning codes lack definitions or regulations for data centers. The additional time is deemed necessary to thoroughly analyze data centers, assess their potential impacts, and develop comprehensive land-use regulations as part of the city's ongoing zoning code update. The current temporary ordinance is set to expire on October 10.