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Residents and council push for moratorium and zoning fixes after marketing shows possible data‑center site
Summary
A resident warned the council that a 365‑acre parcel near Rio Communities is being marketed for hyperscale data centers; council directed staff and the city attorney to draft moratorium language and ordinance definitions, and to bring proposed changes and public‑input plans to the next regular meeting packet.
Maria Gonzalez, a longtime Rio Communities resident, told the council she found a nationwide marketing listing that promotes a 365‑acre property as “a premier site for a hyperscale data center” and urged the council to act before a developer files an application. “Please don't wait until a developer is standing at this podium with a formal application,” Gonzalez said, adding concerns about “24 hour industrial noise, air pollution from backup diesel powered generators, increased demands on our water and electrical infrastructure, light pollution, traffic, [and] impacts on property values.”
Councilors and staff responded by directing the city attorney and planning staff to prepare an action plan. City Attorney Corey said the immediate step should be a narrowly tailored moratorium on large or undefined developments, coupled with ordinance amendments to define and tier “data center” and similar uses so the city can require public hearings and square‑footage or impact thresholds. The council asked staff to deliver draft moratorium language and proposed definitions for the next regular meeting packet and to hold a town hall and joint meeting with Planning & Zoning for public input.
