Data Centers: Weekly Briefing // October 5 - October 8, 2026

📋 This Week's Decisions

Just Passed ✔️

Moratoriums Approved

• Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, OK: Tribal citizens voted Saturday to impose a three-year moratorium on data center construction on tribal lands, with 261 of 351 votes cast in favor, 83 opposed and seven abstentions. The resolution runs through October 2029. Gov. Reggie Wassana said no data center agreement has been signed, that a feasibility study is planned, and that a project would use a closed-loop system needing little water, a claim speakers disputed over water use and transparency.
• Anne Arundel County, MD: The County Council voted 7-0 Monday to approve an amended Bill 63-26 establishing a temporary moratorium on new data center development through Jan. 31, 2028, or until the county adopts comprehensive legislation. Members first considered banning new privately operated data centers before swapping in the pause in September. Projects already in development can generally continue, and a county work group will study the industry and recommend permanent rules; the bill also repeals a personal property tax assessment reduction for qualified data storage centers.
• Oakland, CA: City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to place a 45-day moratorium on all new data center development, effective immediately, with the option to extend it another 45 days. Councilmember Carroll Fife's measure followed scrutiny of Behring Companies' plan to convert about 20,000 square feet of a downtown building into a data center, and the city will use the pause to study impacts on water, power and air quality. Fife has scheduled a community conversation for Oct. 24.
• Mendocino County, CA: Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to extend the county's data center moratorium by 22 months and 15 days, to Aug. 21, 2028, the longest period state law allows, while narrowing it to exempt facilities drawing less than 3 megawatts. The original 45-day urgency ordinance, adopted Sept. 1, was set to expire Oct. 16.
• Old Town, ME: The City Council unanimously approved a six-month moratorium Monday on data centers in the city's industrial zones, retroactive to Sept. 8, making it the second Greater Bangor community to pass a short-term ban. The pause expires in March but could be extended to June.

Regulations Passed

• Northfield, MN: City Council voted unanimously to change setback requirements for data processing centers, setting a 200-foot setback from existing or planned trails that matches the required distance from homes. City Administrator Ben Martig said the previous trail setback was substantially larger and effectively prevented data centers from locating in the affected area; the vote changed zoning only and did not approve any construction.
• Allen Township, OH: Trustees voted 2-0 with one abstention to adopt data center and energy storage zoning regulations, then added a last-minute amendment exempting data centers located in a Planned Unit Development. The rules allow data centers only in I-2 districts if they are air cooled, set 1,250 feet back from residential lots, and cap water use at 10,000 gallons per day, sound at 40 decibels and total load at 10 megawatts. The exemption was added after developer Onsite Partners said the rules were too restrictive to proceed.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Cheyenne, WY: City Council advanced the Orchard Hills data center project on second reading Monday, approving annexation and two zoning changes for a 162-acre site next to the existing Meta campus despite resident objections and a unanimous Planning Commission denial of a related land-use map. Councilmembers Mark Moody and Larry Wolfe voted against every item; the full council takes its final vote Oct. 12.
• Memphis, TN: City Council voted 7-5 on Oct. 6 to postpone a vote on a proposed yearlong data center moratorium until Oct. 20, prompting protests that interrupted the meeting. Police cleared the chamber and a fight broke out in the lobby, with no one detained or injured. Councilman J.B. Smiley Jr., a sponsor, criticized how the meeting was handled, saying officials should have listened to the more than 100 residents who came to participate.
• Hillsboro, OR: City Council advanced its first permanent data center restrictions Oct. 6, limiting primary-use facilities mainly to the Industrial Park and Industrial Sanctuary zones, with caps totaling 608 acres compared with roughly 6,600 acres allowed today. A second reading and possible final vote are set for Oct. 20, and the city's moratorium stays in place until Nov. 24. Councilors voted 5-1 to remove a provision letting a business place its accessory data center on a separate affiliated property.
• Bethlehem, PA: City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to give initial approval to the city's first data center zoning rules, with a final vote set for Oct. 20. The rules would require a public hearing, studies on water, power, noise and heat, and a 1,000-foot buffer from homes and schools. The one project already proposed, a data center at 2184 Industrial Drive along Route 22, is exempt because its application was filed first, and it goes before the Planning Commission Nov. 12.
• Granbury, TX: City leaders put a proposed recall election on hold Tuesday after attorney Andy Taylor announced at the council meeting that he is suing the city to stop it, just as council was about to schedule the vote for May 2027. The recall targets Mayor Jim Jarratt and four council members over allegations the city didn't disclose enough about a potential data center, following the annexation of 2,200 acres where the city has received concept plans. Fox 4 found no online filing of the suit.
• Mahomet, IL: Resident John Bambenek started a petition to put a referendum on the April ballot asking voters whether a data center should be built, after learning village officials have held talks with Clean Cloud Energy. A community meeting Saturday drew more than 200 people; the next village meeting is Oct. 13, with a rally planned beforehand.
• Luzerne County, PA: The Planning Commission was set to take up its proposed data center zoning amendment again Thursday after the county law office asked for more time, and the administration now recommends loosening setbacks and noise limits after concluding the version approved in May could be exclusionary. Setbacks for the largest facilities would drop from 2,000 feet to 1,250 feet, and the commission must vote on the changes before the amendment can go to County Council.
• Volusia County, FL: Leaders were set to hold a first reading Tuesday on an ordinance banning large-scale data centers in unincorporated areas, citing Florida Senate Bill 484 and concerns over water, environmental and health impacts. The planning commission is expected to discuss it Oct. 15, with a second and final reading before County Council set for Oct. 20.
• Imperial County, CA: Supervisors were set to vote Tuesday on repealing two interim urgency moratorium ordinances in compliance with a court order, then hold a hearing on enacting a fresh temporary moratorium. Two supervisors are also putting forward a discussion item on a ballot measure that would let residents vote directly on data center development.
• Taylor, TX: City Council took up a development agreement Thursday with Big Watt Digital and PowerHouse Data Centers for the 664-acre Taylor Technology Campus, formerly Project Mustang, after the developers withdrew their annexation and zoning application in September. The agreement includes $28.2 million in community investments and a closed-loop cooling system using reclaimed water; residents with HALT Taylor Data Centers have pushed back for months.
• Butler County, KS: Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to delay action on proposed data center regulations until Oct. 27, after more than two hours of discussion and testimony from 18 residents, many urging caution or opposing data centers outright over low-frequency noise, water use and grid strain.
• Lincoln County, WA: Commissioners heard from a packed courthouse Monday at the required hearing on an already-passed six-month moratorium on data centers and battery energy storage systems, with water concerns dominating. The county has received no applications, and its planning commission will meet monthly on a draft zoning ordinance.
• Hermantown, MN: City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve the 2,700-page environmental review for Google's proposed data center, which includes comments from five government agencies and more than 200 residents. The Minnesota DNR asked for clarifications in August, and a vote on the review for the Minnesota Power transmission line serving the project moved to Thursday because public comment ran long.
• Morristown, TN: City Council proposed initial zoning rules limiting data centers to heavy industrial districts, at least 500 feet from any home, school or government building, choosing zoning over a moratorium; the council takes up second reading next, and the city administrator will return in about three months with more regulations.
• Ransom Township, PA: Supervisors were set to vote Monday on an ordinance allowing data centers only as a conditional use in the general commercial/manufacturing and heavy manufacturing districts, while the township remains in litigation over its rejection of Scranton Materials LLC's six-data-center quarry proposal.
• Kalamazoo, MI: City commissioners were scheduled to hold a final public hearing and vote Monday on a one-year moratorium covering data centers and large battery energy storage systems, with a working group to assist the city's zoning rewrite.
• Ypsilanti, MI: The city is hosting two public meetings in October on a proposed ordinance that would sort data centers into three categories and set energy and water consumption requirements, with the second session on Zoom Oct. 15.

📅 Upcoming Meetings

• Cheyenne, WY: Final council vote on the Orchard Hills items, Oct. 12.
• Mahomet, IL: Village meeting at 6 p.m., with a rally at 5 p.m., Oct. 13.
• Ypsilanti, MI: Second public meeting on the proposed ordinance, on Zoom at 10 a.m., Oct. 15.
• Volusia County, FL: Planning commission discussion, Oct. 15; second and final council reading, Oct. 20.
• Bethlehem, PA: Final council vote on the zoning rules, Oct. 20; Planning Commission review of the Route 22 project, Nov. 12.
• Hillsboro, OR: Second reading and possible final vote, Oct. 20; moratorium expires Nov. 24.
• Memphis, TN: Postponed moratorium vote, Oct. 20.
• Oakland, CA: Community conversation with Councilmember Fife, Oct. 24.
• Butler County, KS: Commissioners revisit the proposed regulations, Oct. 27.

👀 In case you missed it...

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☀️ Most Clicked Link

📱 Social Buzz

Episode Title: Brazil’s Data Center Boom is Enabled by Renewables Firms w/ Laís Martins

Episode: Tech Won't Save Us

Listen: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/www.buzzsprout.com/1004689/episodes/19917599-brazil-s-data-center-boom-is-enabled-by-renewables-firms-w-lais-martins.mp3

Social Listening📱: LinkedIn

Industry leaders and policymakers are actively shaping the conversation on LinkedIn every day. Strisker's LinkedIn Signal tracks professional posts and commentary, which allows you to monitor industry trends, identify key influencers, and observe policy shifts related to short-term rentals and data centers.

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