SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio City Council members are considering a temporary pause on new data center construction as they weigh new rules for the rapidly growing industry and its impact on neighborhoods, power use and water demand.
Stakeholders will meet at 9 a.m. for a discussion on zoning and land use for data centers. Councilmembers will meet for a special meeting at 2 p.m. KSAT will livestream the special meeting at 2 p.m. in this article, on KSAT.com and KSAT Plus.
>> Councilman Ric Galvan requests temporary pause on San Antonio data centers
The proposed moratorium, introduced by District 6 Councilman Ric Galvan, would temporarily stop the city from accepting new applications for data centers. That would include concept plans, site development plans and permits.
The council members want the ordinance to establish a temporary moratorium on all applications for concept plans, site development plans and permits for data centers or “office data processing and management” as defined in the City of San Antonio Unified Development Code.
The goal of the moratorium, Galvan said, is to give time to get local regulation on the books and allow the state legislature to meet and address concerns.
The local push comes as communities across Texas raise concerns about data centers, including their demand for power and water.
Gov. Greg Abbott also weighed in during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” saying tech companies failed to build support in the communities where they want to operate.
“They didn’t do their job to get the support of people in local communities,” Abbott said. “Gaining the support of people in local communities is essential. They’ve not been working in collaboration with local governments, and so they basically dug their own grave for the problem that’s been caused.”
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