Angkor committee asks staff to study temporary moratorium, zoning and community safeguards for data centers

Councilor Leonard, chair of the Business and Economic Development Committee of the City of Angkor, opened a policy-level discussion and asked staff to present options for how the city might regulate data centers if proposals emerge. Anne Krieg, the city’s community economic director, outlined a menu of approaches including a clear local definition for data centers, overlay districts to limit locations, conditional-use restrictions, height and block-coverage limits, community-benefit arrangements, generator-fuel restrictions, noise limits and requirements for on-site or procured renewable energy.

Krieg warned that large, AI-focused data centers can have much higher computing—and cooling—demands than traditional server facilities and said that ‘‘they use water to cool that equipment’’ and that the cooling is often ‘‘through evaporative cooling,’’ which increases water consumption and can strain local utilities. She also said that some communities are using targeted tax and TIF arrangements to capture revenue, or are assessing equipment at higher rates to fund local priorities like affordable housing.

A committee member moved in favor of a temporary moratorium to give the city time to study those impacts and policy options; the motion was seconded and the chair asked staff to investigate the moratorium’s legality and report back. The mover said the moratorium would ‘‘allow the city the time to really think through that question appropriately.’’ Other council members voiced support for a limited moratorium (one suggested six months) and for requiring project labor agreements or prevailing wages so construction-phase jobs better benefit local workers.

Members also raised concerns about grid capacity and public-health reports from residents living near some data centers—Krieg referenced anecdotal reports of residents experiencing headaches or migraines near existing facilities—and about the city’s current infrastructure ability to support large new electric draws without risking service impacts. Krieg noted a state bill that would have established a moratorium and a working group had been tabled, leaving a regulatory ‘‘gap’’ at the state level.

The committee did not adopt an ordinance; instead it directed staff to investigate the legal authority for a moratorium, possible timeframes, and to return with a recommended approach that could include zoning changes, definition clarifications, conditional-use standards and community-benefit expectations.