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Council approves 12‑month moratorium on new data center applications
Summary
The Minnetrista City Council adopted ordinance No. 509 to pause consideration of new data‑center applications for up to 12 months so staff and council can study potential rules and guardrails; one council member recorded opposition to the moratorium and said a study (not a ban) would be preferable.
The Minnetrista City Council on Aug. 3 adopted an ordinance imposing a moratorium on new data center applications for the city to allow staff and the council to study potential regulations. Community Development Director David Abel said the pause "will last for 1 year" and would give staff time to gather information and return with proposed limitations and permit conditions. The ordinance applies to any new data‑center application that would otherwise be submitted while the moratorium is in effect.
Council discussion centered on whether a moratorium was the right tool. One council member said, "I actually support the study but not necessarily a moratorium," arguing the city risks "taking us out of the running" for potential economic opportunities and that data centers are not categorically different from other heavy industrial uses. Mayor Lisa Whalen defended the moratorium as a temporary measure to put "the brakes on for right now" and to establish guardrails before any applications arrive. A motion to adopt ordinance No. 509 was made and seconded; the record shows one council member voted "nay," and the council then approved the ordinance and separately authorized publication of the ordinance by title and summary.
Why it matters: the moratorium buys Minnetrista time to draft objective zoning and operational standards for data centers — topics that touch land‑use, noise, energy and infrastructure — before any developer files a formal application. Staff said the moratorium period will be used to work with council at future work sessions and to develop a proposed ordinance for later adoption.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 131; topfinish SEG 283.
