Warren city council calls for data center moratorium
The Warren City Council unanimously voted to prepare a temporary moratorium on data center facilities. This decision stems from concerns about the electrical grid's strain, especially after recent power outages, and the city's current lack of zoning ordinances for data centers. The moratorium aims to provide time for the city to develop comprehensive zoning regulations.
The Warren City Council in Macomb County, Michigan, unanimously voted on Tuesday evening to direct its attorney, Jeffrey Schroder of Plunkett Cooney, to draft a temporary moratorium on data center facilities. Council Secretary Mindy Moore initiated the agenda item, citing extensive research and significant power outages experienced in Warren over the Fourth of July weekend.
Moore emphasized that the city currently lacks specific zoning ordinances to regulate data centers, including provisions for buffer zones or dedicated zones. She expressed concerns that proposed data centers would further strain the local electrical grid, which suffered damage with around 60 downed power lines during the recent storm.
The proposed temporary moratorium aims to maintain the status quo, allowing the city sufficient time to develop comprehensive zoning ordinances specifically for data centers. Schroder anticipates presenting the resolution for a vote at the next City Council meeting, noting that a moratorium should ideally not exceed one year. Councilman Jonathan Lafferty suggested that future data center zoning could mirror the city's marijuana facility ordinance, which designates very limited and defined areas for such businesses.