The Coachella City Council approved an ordinance to permanently ban data centers in the city, with a second reading of the ordinance scheduled later this month.
During a city council meeting on Wednesday, council members unanimously approved moving forward with banning data center developments and uses citywide.
City council will return Aug. 26 for a final vote on the matter, in which the item shall take effect 30 days after council approval.
The council’s decision to ban data centers follows months of backlash from community members throughout the Coachella Valley.
The ordinance defines a data center as a structure or site used to house computer or other components related to digital data storage, process and transmission of digital data. Additionally, it defines a data center uses as storage facilities, small data-storage facilities, server farms, artificial intelligence training or processing, image processing, cloud computing, email servicing and other similar uses.
Exemptions under the ordinance would include “accessory server rooms, data processing equipment or information technology facilities that are incidental, subordinate and specifically related to a permitted principal use.”
The city has a temporary moratorium in place for data center developments until June 3, 2027.
It’s interesting to see the Coachella City Council take such a strong stance against data centers, particularly with the implications it might have on local development and technology. I’m curious to see what alternative uses for the land they plan to prioritize. For tracking similar policy changes, I rely on a helpful free resource I use for this: community newsletters.