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Ferndale council enacts temporary moratorium on data-center approvals
Summary
The Ferndale City Council unanimously adopted a temporary moratorium on new data-center applications, directing staff to send regulations to the planning commission amid concerns about electricity draw, cooling/water use, noise and low employment density.
The Ferndale City Council voted unanimously to adopt a temporary moratorium on the acceptance and approval of data-center applications and directed staff to forward study and regulatory recommendations to the planning commission.
Council members said they brought the pause because modern data centers can demand large, continuous electric loads, require significant mechanical cooling and in some designs use substantial water for cooling — factors the city’s zoning rules do not currently address. The council’s motion, adopted on a voice and roll-call vote, sends planning staff back to define what a “data center” should be in local code and what performance limits or conditions Ferndale should impose.
Several residents urged the moratorium during the meeting’s public-comment period. ‘‘These facilities pull a huge amount of electricity and can have continuous noise and cooling infrastructure,’’ Prasad Bengopal told council, and he urged the city to clarify when a municipal surveillance or data-access policy should govern external systems such as county drones. Chris Gilmer Hill, a candidate for state representative who said he attended a recent county town hall, told council he supported the pause: ‘‘Taking the step back, taking the time to make sure that we have all the right rules in place is critically important.’’
Council members said they do not intend the moratorium to be permanent policy but instead a measured pause that lets the planning commission and staff develop objective standards — for example, thresholds for on-site water usage, noise limits, electrical interconnection requirements and buffering — before new projects are accepted.
The motion was recorded as adopted with the following roll call: Johnson — yes; Kelly — yes; Makolski — yes; Sabatini — yes; Leaks May — yes. The resolution was sponsored by Mayor Promakowski and directs staff to report back with draft regulations and recommended procedures for review by the planning commission.
