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Utica Council extends moratorium on data centers while attorneys draft ordinance
Summary
Utica City Council voted July 14 to extend a six‑month moratorium on data storage facilities and data centers so the city can review other municipalities’ ordinances and emerging case law; the city attorney said she is drafting a local ordinance to follow that review.
Utica City Council voted on July 14 to extend a six‑month moratorium on the establishment of data storage facilities and data centers in the city while legal staff review court decisions and ordinances from other municipalities.
City Attorney Miss McGrail told the council she has already drafted a proposed ordinance but recommended that the city “see how the courts are reacting to these ordinances” before finalizing it. “Let them be the guinea pig, and then I’ll bring you an ordinance that’s got more teeth to it,” McGrail said, explaining the extension gives the city time to study legal outcomes elsewhere.
Mayor Mary Calandrino said the moratorium had been adopted several months earlier and was nearing its expiration. McGrail and other council members discussed goals for a local ordinance, including requiring data centers to cover increased infrastructure costs for water and sewer and locating facilities away from residential neighborhoods.
The extension was approved by roll‑call vote. No ordinance number or effective date beyond the extension was provided at the meeting; council members said staff will return with draft language once the legal landscape is clearer.
What’s next: City legal staff will continue drafting an ordinance and report back to council after reviewing case law and other municipalities’ ordinances. The moratorium maintains the status quo while the city finalizes local zoning and infrastructure conditions to address potential impacts of data centers.
