Palm Springs City Council approves extending data center moratorium

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — The Palm Springs City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to extend the city’s temporary moratorium on new data center applications and permits, giving officials more time to study how the facilities could be regulated.

The council originally approved a 45-day moratorium on Aug. 26. That temporary ban was set to expire Oct. 10.

Under the extension approved Wednesday, the moratorium will remain in place for another 22 months and 15 days while the city works on potential regulations as part of its broader zoning code update.

Palm Springs’ current municipal and zoning codes do not specifically define or regulate data centers.

The city also plans to consider input from community members, technology experts and other Valley stakeholders as part of the process.

During public comment, resident Kylee Cabral questioned the city’s justification for using an emergency ordinance to impose the moratorium.

“It’s clear the city is still unsure of the exact nature of the threats it’s attempting to mitigate by invoking an emergency ordinance,” Cabral said.

Other questions focused on how broadly the city could define a data center. That could include facilities that house servers but serve another primary purpose, such as hospitals, colleges or other buildings.

Mayor Naomi Soto said the comprehensive zoning update gives the city an opportunity to take a closer look at what the community is open to and what potential impacts should be considered.

“It’s not the conversation is nixed completely,” Soto said. “We are trying to channel it to the appropriate process.”

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