Hayward Planning Commission approves STAC data center, accepts CEQA document and $2 million public‑benefits package

The Hayward City Planning Commission on May 22 approved a major site plan review and administrative use permit for STAC Infrastructure’s proposed three‑story data center at 26062 Eden Landing Road and certified the project’s Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared by the California Energy Commission.

The project would replace an approximately 11‑acre vacant light industrial office park and, as presented to the commission, includes a roughly three‑story data center building about 100 feet tall, an on‑site substation and switching station, a generator yard with 28 diesel emergency generators, a guard station and security fencing, screening for visible equipment, and related site and utility upgrades. Staff and the applicant said the site is zoned Industrial Park and the general plan designation is Industrial Corridor.

Staff recommended approval, concluding the project complies with applicable city codes and industrial design guidelines and that mitigation measures contained in the CEQA document reduce identified impacts below significance thresholds. The California Energy Commission served as lead agency for the IS/MND because the project qualifies as a small thermal power plant; the final IS/MND was certified by the CEC on May 8, 2025. If approved by the commission, the planning action required adoption of the IS/MND that the CEC prepared as part of the project record.

Why it matters: city staff and the applicant described the project as bringing construction jobs, long‑term operations jobs, and major off‑site infrastructure investments to Hayward. In return the applicant proposed a one‑time public benefits package the applicant increased during review from earlier figures to $2,000,000 to address…