Commissioners flag utility, water and noise risks from large data centers
During a workshop on data‑center regulation, commissioners raised concerns that large facilities require private substations, high water use and noisy backup generation — issues that may push such uses into heavy‑industrial zoning or require special permitting.
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Multiple commissioners described infrastructure and community impacts they want the city to consider before permitting large data centers. Commissioner Hughes and others noted that many large centers now require on‑site substations, bright security lighting and diesel or natural‑gas backup generators, raising concerns about noise, light pollution and potential groundwater effects from cooling systems.
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