St. Cloud officials will hear from residents Monday night about possible new restrictions for data centers.
St. Cloud hasn’t yet received any proposals from developers who want to build a large data center, as other Minnesota communities have, but the City Council is considering adopting an ordinance so it’s prepared for any future requests.
The proposed rules would separate smaller data centers from hyperscale facilities — those with at least 2,000 computer servers housed in buildings larger than 10,000 square feet, or that use at least 50 megawatts of electricity.
Under the ordinance, hyperscale data centers could only be located in the city’s industrial district, at least a quarter mile from residential areas, and would require a conditional use permit. They must be connected to the city’s water system.
I wrote about the upcoming (Nov 16) City Council meeting earlier in the week, but wanted to add information shared by MPR on what surroundings areas are doing…
Some of St. Cloud’s neighboring cities, including Waite Park and St. Joseph, have passed one-year moratoriums on new data centers. Others, including Sartell, have adopted similar regulations.
Monticello, a city about 25 miles southeast of St. Cloud, adopted a data center ordinance in April. Its City Council will consider at a Nov. 30 meeting whether to allow a hyperscale project to move forward.