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Council advances first reading of text amendment to tighten data‑center definitions amid moratorium
Summary
Council advanced a first reading to amend UDC definitions for data centers and computer/data processing uses as part of an ongoing moratorium; Planning Commission recommended striking the standalone 'data/digital storage center' definition and refining 'computer or data processing' to exclude substantial commercial data operations.
Mayor and Council gave first reading approval to a text amendment to the Unified Development Code (UDC) definitions related to data centers and computer/data processing.
Planning Director Jeannie Payeyton said the changes are intended as an interim measure to close potential definitional loopholes while the council continues work on a broader moratorium and use regulations for data centers. The proposed amendments would remove a specific "data/digital storage center" definition as a stand‑alone permitted use and would reframe "computer or data processing" as a commercial office use that explicitly excludes facilities where a substantial portion of gross square footage is devoted to operating data‑processing computer equipment for commercial services (examples cited in staff text included cryptocurrency mining, data mining, cloud computing and storage, and artificial intelligence operations).
The Planning Commission recommended use regulation language be drafted as part of the moratorium work rather than inserting a broad new definition into Article 14 at this time. Council approved the first reading that would clarify the interim definitions and asked staff to return with moratorium‑specific language and use regulations.
What happens next: staff will continue drafting moratorium language addressing where and how large data operations may be permitted, and return to council with refined UDC text for subsequent readings.
