Irving planners propose requiring conditional use permits for principal data centers

Irving planning staff on Monday recommended an ordinance change that would require conditional use permits for data centers when they operate as a principal use in several industrial zoning districts, while continuing to allow smaller, accessory server rooms by right.

Planning Manager Ken Blum told the commission that the proposed ordinance "allows data centers as principal use only by a conditional use permit" and would let the city set site‑specific conditions such as building size and height, loading and parking, additional landscaping, vehicle access and buffer yards. He said staff would also clarify maximum building height language to 75 feet and update related development standards.

The change responds to several recent data‑center proposals…