San Francisco leaders seek data center moratorium
San Francisco leaders are seeking a 45-day moratorium on new data center approvals and construction to study their impacts and update regulations. This move comes as the city, and other Bay Area communities like Gilroy, face growing concerns about the rapid development of data centers. Residents and community activists are raising environmental and social equity concerns, particularly in working-class neighborhoods.
Across the Bay Area, communities are taking a stand against the rapid proliferation of data centers, driven by the expanding artificial intelligence industry. Both San Francisco and Gilroy are considering temporary halts on new data center developments to address growing public concern and update regulatory standards.
In San Francisco, District Supervisor Shaman Walton announced plans to call for a 45-day moratorium on data center approvals and construction at an upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting. This proposal follows a recent suggestion to build a data center at San Francisco's Cow Palace, and the presence of ten other data centers within six miles, mostly in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood. Walton highlighted that many existing facilities, including five private data centers at 200 Paul Avenue, were approved under outdated 2001 rules, predating the current AI boom and its associated concerns. The moratorium aims to provide time to investigate community impacts and create a more current ordinance for regulating the industry.
Community members, including Jeffrey Morris and candidate for District Ten Supervisor Dionne Brewster, voiced strong opposition. They expressed alarm that such facilities are disproportionately located in working-class, predominantly Black neighborhoods like Bayview, raising questions about environmental impacts and community burden. Brewster emphasized that these communities should not be tasked with carrying these burdens once again.
Supervisor Walton indicated that while the initial moratorium would be 45 days, it could be extended up to 220 days if necessary, to allow for thorough impact studies. Meanwhile, in Gilroy, the City Council is also scheduled to vote on a similar temporary halt for new data center applications, following community backlash. This comes after Amazon secured building permits in March for a $2 billion, two-phase data center project on 56 acres of farmland in northeast Gilroy.