A 45-day moratorium on data center applications was in effect Thursday in Palm Springs.
The Palm Springs City Council on Wednesday unanimously voted an urgency ordinance establishing the moratorium to temporarily prohibit “acceptance, processing or approval of applications, permits, entitlements or other approvals related to data centers while the city evaluated such uses as part of the ongoing citywide zoning code update,” according to a staff report.
Currently, the city’s municipal and zoning codes do not provide specific regulations or definitions related to data centers and their uses.
Data centers, which are defined as facilities that store vast amounts of data and computer systems to perform complicated tasks of traditional computing and artificial intelligence, consume substantial amounts of electricity, water and other local resources, city officials said.
“I support the moratorium. It’s a wise step for us to take, and it’s going to give us time to study and bring experts and answer questions that are all over the board,” Councilman Ron deHarte said during the meeting Wednesday.
Indio and Desert Hot Springs have taken similar actions to temporarily block data centers within their respective cities, while Coachella on Wednesday became the fist city in the Coachella Valley to enact a permanent prohibition.
The moratorium will be in effect through Oct. 10.