Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Data Centers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Utica council adopts six-month moratorium on data-center approvals
Summary
The Utica City Council unanimously adopted a resolution pausing approvals for data centers for roughly six months to allow planning and zoning reviews; staff cautioned that a citywide ban (exclusionary zoning) is not legally permissible but zoning-based limits or location restrictions can be explored.
At its Feb. 10 meeting the Utica City Council voted unanimously to adopt a temporary moratorium on data-center development to give planners and council time to craft rules addressing siting, infrastructure and other municipal impacts. The resolution as presented would pause new data-center approvals for a period described in the packet as six months (speakers also referenced 120 or 180 days in the discussion).
City staff and council members said the moratorium is intended to be a pause that allows the planning commission and council to examine where data centers might be permitted, what performance standards may be needed, and what infrastructure or zoning changes are appropriate. A member of the planning staff cautioned that "exclusionary zoning" — a blanket ban on a particular use citywide — is generally not legally permissible; instead the city can consider delineating allowed zones or conditions for data centers.
Council moved to adopt the moratorium resolution prepared by Miss McGrail and it passed on a unanimous roll-call vote. The moratorium includes a six-month review period after which council can extend the pause or lift it depending on the planning commission’s recommendations and any draft zoning or policy changes developed during the review.
Next steps noted at the meeting include sending the issue to the planning commission for study and drafting potential ordinance amendments or zoning provisions the council could consider during or after the moratorium.
