Santa Clara has yet to follow suit with other Bay Area municipalities that have recently enacted moratoriums on new data center construction, but the city is updating its policies.
San Jose Spotlight reports officials are moving forward with plans to revise the city’s policies governing data center development.
The City Council on Oct. 6 unanimously approved a plan to prioritize new water and air quality standards for data centers. Staff has been directed to conduct a more comprehensive policy review to examine health and safety impacts, citing community benefits and other issues.
City officials previously anticipated completing the broader work of this review by the end of 2027, but said it could bring water and air standards forward sooner.
District 3 Councilmember Karen Hardy was frustrated about the failure to adopt a potential moratorium on new data center projects. Although a moratorium was on the council’s agenda last week, no action was taken. She said she plans to bring it back when the council meets next week, with a focus on new standalone data centers.
The city’s existing rules require new developments to maximize the use of recycled water, but the requirement does not establish a specific amount of recycled water a data center must use.
