The Elk River City Council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new data center development Aug. 3, giving the city time to study the rapidly growing industry and develop regulations before considering future proposals.
The action came after the applicant seeking to develop a data center in Elk River formally withdrew its requests for a zoning ordinance amendment and a conditional use permit.
The community was engaged…
The vote came after weeks of packed public hearings, emotional testimony and intense community debate over a proposal that drew widespread opposition from residents concerned about noise, environmental impacts, energy use and the long-term effects of locating a large-scale data center in Elk River.
What does it mean?
“The moratorium does two things,” Carlton told the council. “First, it prohibits all data center development applications, including land use applications, rezoning requests and similar proposals. In other words, all data center development is prohibited during the moratorium.”
He said the second purpose is to direct staff to begin studying what a data center ordinance should include.