SUBJECT:
Title
PUBLIC HEARING to Consider an Ordinance to Impose a Temporary Moratorium on Acceptance, Review, or Approval of Applications for Development Permits, Development Orders, Rezoning, or Site Plans Related to Data Centers, Data Processing Facilities, Data Mining, or Cryptocurrency Mining Operations for a Period Up to 365 Days, Unless Extended or Terminated
Body
DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND:
Data centers are a rapidly growing and evolving land use that typically requires substantial electricity and water usage for cooling and related operations, often generate a significant amount of noise, and can take up a very large amount of land.
As this development pressure was unanticipated, existing ordinances and development standards do not adequately address the unique infrastructure demands, impacts to neighboring property owners, and operational characteristics of newer data centers. Additionally, potential cumulative impacts of data centers on the County's water and wastewater systems, groundwater resources, wastewater infrastructure, and electrical grid are not yet fully understood.
Staff is requesting authorization for a temporary moratorium on the processing of development orders and/or development permits for these data centers to evaluate land use compatibility and impacts on critical public facilities through a collaborative effort with County departments and external Agencies responsible for the provision of these services. Prior to the end date of the moratorium, Staff intends to bring any necessary amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and/or revisions to the Land Development Regulations to the Board.
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