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Councilmember-led review: City to pursue out-of-cycle UDC changes for data centers
Summary
Following resident concerns, the committee supported an out-of-cycle Unified Development Code review focused on data center siting, utility use, buffers, noise mitigation and special‑use authorization, and asked staff to convene stakeholders beginning May 8.
The Planning and Community Development Committee directed staff April 28 to pursue an out-of-cycle review of the Unified Development Code (UDC) to address emerging concerns about data centers.
Development Services project manager Hameen Thomas said the standard UDC cycle occurs every five years, but a CCR from Councilmember Galvan requested earlier attention to data center impacts including power and water consumption, special-use authorization, site buffers, fencing, landscaping, and noise mitigation. Thomas said a stakeholder meeting is scheduled for May 8 and described an expedited timeline that could bring draft amendments through planning commissions in July and to council as early as late August (or adopt an effective date later if council prefers).
Councilmembers including Galvan and Castillo expressed support for an expedited, out-of-cycle process and asked that the San Antonio Fire Department and other technical stakeholders be included in the discussions. Galvan noted a local incident and emphasized the need for clearer operational and safety guidance for these facilities.
Staff said the out-of-cycle process would be shorter than the normal 12-month code cycle and that meetings with industry, neighbors and technical departments would inform any proposed amendments. The committeeasked staff to proceed with stakeholder outreach and to return with draft recommendations.
