The Palm Springs City Council is scheduled to take up, on Wednesday, September 30, whether to extend its pause on data centers for an additional 22 months and 15 days, which would make it two years counting the original 45 days. The pause prohibits the approval of applications and permits related to data centers, according to the city’s agenda. It’s a public hearing, so members of the public can speak before the council votes, and an extension takes a four-fifths vote, according to the city’s staff report.
The staff report gives the reason: “No zoning standards, performance requirements, setback rules, noise standards, utility demand thresholds, or environmental mitigation requirements specifically applicable to data centers have been adopted.” Staff want the time to study the benefits and impacts, to “evaluate the appropriateness of such uses within the City,” and to write regulations as part of the city’s Zoning Code Update. The report says the extension would be rescinded once that work is done.
The current pause, adopted on August 26, runs out on October 10. City News Service reported the proposal on September 24.
If you want to be there, the meeting’s open session starts at 5:30 p.m. at 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way. The printed agenda lists this as item 2B, after presentations, the consent calendar and another public hearing, and the council can change the order on the night.
What we don’t know yet is how it’ll go. The council can adopt it, turn it down, or push it to a later meeting, and the agenda says any item not reached by 11 p.m. may be continued.