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Council asks staff to define 'large-scale' AI/data center uses and prepare zoning options
Summary
Rather than adopt an immediate moratorium, council asked planning and utilities staff to define thresholds (power draw, water use, footprint) for 'large-scale' AI/data centers and craft zoning/code updates and industrial overlay language to control compatibility and utility impacts.
Council held a preliminary discussion about whether to pause new large-scale AI or data‑center projects within city limits. The mayor said he wanted a cautious, proactive approach but councilmembers and the city attorney warned that a straight moratorium is legally constrained in Texas and can be subject to technical challenges.
Legal counsel advised that moratorium statutes are restrictive and time-limited and recommended that staff prepare specific ordinance language (zoning definitions, industrial overlays, setbacks, and utility-capacity triggers) instead. Council asked staff to return with objective thresholds to distinguish "large‑scale" facilities (suggestions included electric power draw in megawatts, square footage thresholds and water‑use metrics) and to coordinate with the electric provider (for grid‑capacity assessments) before drafting code language.
