The mayor and city leaders could pause new zoning certificates for data centers for a year while it codifies them into its zoning regulations.
City leaders in Madison, Wisconsin are proposing a one-year moratorium on zoning permits for new data centers as lawmakers struggle to understand their impact on their communities.
As Liam Beran reports in Isthmus, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said the moratorium is necessary until the city establishes a definition of data centers in their zoning code. “Rhodes-Conway is not yet sure what changes will be made in the revised zoning code, though she says land use and sustainability impacts are chief concerns.”
According to the mayor, “Of course, I share the concerns that many folks in our community have about energy use and water use in particular, but also sustainability more broadly, which is why I feel like we need to just take a pause and figure out the issues and see how our regulations can address them.”
If Madison adopts a zoning change to regulate data centers, it would likely be the first city in Wisconsin to do so. Beran notes that there are no data centers currently proposed in Madison city limits.
Read the full story: Madison mayor to propose one-year moratorium on data center construction
New York State pauses all new data center projects
An executive order from Gov. Hochul prohibits new data center permits until the state finalizes an environmental review of their impacts.
Jersey City bans stand-alone data centers
The city updated its land use ordinance to exclude data centers as an acceptable use in the industrial district.
Texas town's data center ban challenged by state senator
In June, San Marcos became the first city in Texas to prohibit data centers.
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