After more than two hours of discussion, the Fort Worth Zoning Commission voted 7-4 to recommend denying a proposed ordinance that would regulate where data centers can operate and establish new standards for future development.

Several commissioners said they supported regulating data centers but argued they needed more time to review the proposal and consider public feedback before recommending changes to the City Council.

Commissioner Jacob Wurman criticized the pace of the review, saying, “We spent four months deliberating the Stockyards amendments, and we’re going to do this in five minutes?” He later said commissioners were being asked to make a decision “under the gun.”

Following the commission’s vote, 5 Fort Worth city councilmembers announced they will ask the council to consider a temporary moratorium on new data center developments so staff can revise and review proposed regulations.

Councilmembers Carlos Flores, Mia Hall, Chris Nettles, Elizabeth Beck and Jeannette Martinez said in a joint statement they are requesting additional time for research and stakeholder engagement to better address concerns raised by residents, zoning commissioners, and industry representatives. The statement said a temporary pause would allow for the development of regulations that better balance economic development with neighborhood impacts, water use, infrastructure demands and other community concerns.

City Council is expected to consider the proposed zoning rules at an upcoming meeting on Aug 11.

The zoning commission is discussing proposed regulations introduced in June that seek to balance the economic benefits with public concern.

Proposed zoning amendments aim to use the city’s regulatory authority to help create standards specifically for data centers that include:

Minimum 250-foot setbacks from residential districts.

Landscaping and screening requirements for facilities next to residential neighborhoods.

Banning standby generators within 300 feet of homes and requiring permanent screening.

Requiring acoustic barriers for rooftop cooling equipment.

Limits on lighting near residential neighborhoods.

The proposal would also update city rules governing noise, water use and economic development incentives for data centers.

Commissioners are also considering limiting new data centers to industrial zoning districts and reclassifying cryptocurrency mining to allow increasing regulation following concerns over noise and resource consumption.

City officials say data centers generated more than $83 million in gross property tax revenue over the past five years, according to a June presentation. Proposed policy changes would also tighten criteria for economic development incentives.

Fort Worth’s proposed regulations come as Texas experiences rapid growth in data center development.

ERCOT, which manages most of the state’s electric grid, estimates that requests from large power users could quadruple Texas’ electricity demand over the next decade. A February 2026 ERCOT report said it is tracking about 410 gigawatts of large load requests, with roughly 87% of those requests coming from data centers.

The rapid expansion has also drawn attention from state leaders. Gov. Greg Abbott has identified data center regulation as a priority for the 2027 legislative session.

Abbott has earmarked regulation of data centers as a priority in the 2027 legislative session. In a letter to state regulators in June, Abbott asked the heads of the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT to ensure data centers shoulder the cost of industry growth, rather than passing it along to Texans.

Proposed laws would require the use of water-efficient technology, mandate reporting for electric and water usage, ensure data centers lower electric costs for consumers, and repeal sales tax exemptions and incentives.

Fort Worth’s debate reflects a broader discussion taking place across Texas as communities weigh the economic benefits of data centers against concerns about electricity demand, water use and impacts on nearby neighborhoods. According to ERCOT, the grid operator is tracking about 410 gigawatts of large-load requests, with roughly 87% tied to proposed data centers.