Eureka City Council to Consider 45-Day Data Center Moratorium
The Eureka City Council will consider implementing a 45-day moratorium on data center development to allow staff to create new zoning regulations. This action is driven by community concerns over potential impacts on water use, electricity, noise, and the environment. No data center projects are currently proposed in Eureka.
The Eureka City Council is scheduled to vote on a 45-day urgency ordinance for a moratorium on data center development at its next meeting. The proposed moratorium aims to provide city staff and the Planning Commission time to study the potential impacts of data centers and develop appropriate zoning and regulatory controls within the city's inland and coastal zones. This preemptive measure comes after community concerns were raised regarding the water and electricity usage, noise, and environmental effects of large data centers, despite no specific data center projects currently being proposed in Eureka.
If enacted, the moratorium would prevent new data center applications from being processed while new regulations are being drafted. Staff will research various impacts, including water use and quality, power availability, noise issues, and other environmental concerns, also considering how size and scale might affect these impacts. A four-fifths vote is required for the moratorium to pass, and it could be extended for up to two years. The nearby Arcata City Council is also reportedly considering a similar moratorium.