Reno Planning Commission denies North Valleys data center, approves downtown Keystone data center amid public concern over water and energy

The Reno Planning Commission on Jan. 15 denied a conditional use permit (CUP) for a proposed Oppaden data center in the North Valleys and approved a separate CUP for a Centra interconnection data center at 265 Keystone Avenue. Commissioners split on whether the projects meet municipal standards for compatibility, public services and long-term public welfare.

The commission's denial of the Oppaden proposal followed public comments from conservation groups and residents emphasizing data centers’ unique demands for electricity, water and sewer capacity. Olivia Tanager, executive director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, said she appealed the commission's earlier approval of a web data center and urged caution: "Data centers require an extreme amount of both energy and water by several times more than a standard warehouse," she told commissioners during the meeting's public comment period.

The commission later approved Centra’s Keystone project, a two‑story, 91,000‑square‑foot interconnection facility that Centra and its consultants described as an "interconnection" center that will host fiber and telecom carriers and serve local businesses. Centra CEO Chris Wiesler said the project would use minimal water because it relies on air‑based cooling and that the company will install on‑site rooftop solar and EV charging infrastructure as part of its sustainability commitments.

Why it matters

Both proposals were evaluated under the Reno municipal code's CUP standards and the city's master plan policies. Opponents argued that approving large, resource‑intensive facilities while the city and region are still finalizing policy for data centers risks straining water and power systems and shifting costs to ratepayers. Supporters and the applicants said the projects bring investment, jobs and infrastructure upgrades and that some sites are more suitable for data centers than other industrial uses that could occur on those parcels.

What the commission…