The Inver Grove Heights City Council voted 3-2 on Friday to pause the construction of data centers in the city.
The vote on the one-year moratorium came after residents — who filled the meeting room — expressed opposition to data centers, including one project that’s currently proposed.
Florida-based developer QLevr has proposed building a 54,000-square-foot data center on Carmen Avenue East in Inver Grove Heights. It’s considered to be smaller than most hyperscale data centers in Minnesota.
Earlier this week, city council members delayed a decision on whether to pause the construction of data centers until Friday’s meeting. The earlier meeting ended with frustrated residents shouting to express their displeasure.
…The council on Friday also postponed consideration of the site plan for the proposed data center.
That’s after residents presented a petition with over 700 signatures to the state’s Environmental Quality Board on Thursday night, seeking an environmental review of the project. The petition for an environmental assessment worksheet, or EAW, pauses the proposed development for up to 30 days to further assess potential impacts.