Planning Commission Tables Data Center Regs

• Proposed ordinance tabled by Planning Commission ahead of joint meeting with City Council next month.
• Regulations were deemed well intentioned, but possibly unnecessarily restrictive or potentially wasteful of resources.
• Public response continues to be divided.

The effort to bring data centers to San Angelo was stymied slightly on Monday when preliminary regulations for the facility were tabled unanimously by the planning commission during their regular meeting.

The 10-page draft ordinance was deemed to be well researched and prepared, but the commission ultimately decided that landscaping requirements and other details were ultimately unfair and unnecessarily restrictive given the standard for light manufacturing zones. 

Other board members suggested more public input was needed, and that more time was needed in order to fully understand all the consequences.  

Board member Shawn Mize said “You look at what is allowed in heavy manufacturing or light manufacturing; you can have a slaughterhouse, a steel yard, a cement plant, manufacture textiles, cabinets, you can do all sorts of things that pollute the environment, that use a lot of water, and they have no regulations, other than the standard zoning,” noting that the rules for what trees, shrubberies, and other landscaping features that are be required would increase the overall water use greatly. 

The proposed regulations would have required the planting of hundreds of trees and bushes around the perimeter, a requirement which might make more sense if the center were being constructed in a more residential area, some argued, but ultimately the upkeep of the landscaping might require far more water on a recurring basis than would be needed to cool the internal systems of the data center. 

Wrapping up, Mize stated “I don’t want to push things away from San Angelo that will go to nearby communities that would draw on the same aquifers, the same power grids…but we get none of the benefits,” a statement that was largely agreed with by the panel. 

Current Regulations

The vote would have decided whether to rescind the current interpretation of land use, which is “by-right,” meaning potential data center developers would have the same abilities as any other light manufacturing business, and be governed by already existing rules.

If approved, the draft ordinance would be sent to city council for further approval.

Among the rules were several items relating to water use in the computer cooling infrastructure, a subject of much concern.

The proposed regulations would require that future centers use a closed-loop system, meaning that the systems would be charged with water that is re-used continuously, requiring only topping-off occasionally, or in the event of failure, and limited to a total use to no more than 15 gallons per square foot of the facility. 

Landscaping Requirements At Issue

Landscaping and appearance rules would have required ground mounted and rooftop equipment be fenced away from view, along with parkways around the facility, and require parking lots to have landscape islands, and lighting that is shielded and pointed downward, not to exceed 30-feet in height. 

Planning and development services director Aaron Vannoy presented the regulations, which were developed from manuals by IT Development corporation ASCII Group, along with reviewing existing regulations in states like Virginia, which houses more data centers than any other state, along with municipal regulations from Round Rock and Irving, areas which have seen significant development as well. 

Over 1,100 notices were sent to property owners adjacent to the property, Vannoy said that only around 30 responded, and these comprised of one owner who opposed construction of data centers outright, five responded in favor, and two that that were in favor but opposed regulations in general, among others that fell into those categories. 

During public comment, three citizens rose to address their concerns which ranged from process complaints to concerns about resource use.