San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is calling for stronger regulations on data centers ahead of a City Council vote on Thursday, Oct. 29. The proposed ordinance is listed as Item 5 on the meeting agenda.
On Monday, Oct. 26, Jones joined representatives from Public Citizen Texas and the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance near a playground and swimming pool about 650 feet from an existing data center in unincorporated Bexar County. The facility is outside San Antonio city limits. Jones said in an Instagram post that nothing would prevent a similar facility from being built in other city neighborhoods, and that the city needs an ordinance that provides transparency and protects public health and property values.
The mayor is backing a proposal she calls Data Center Option 2+. It builds on efforts by District 6 Councilman Ric Galvan to require more public involvement and City Council review of new facilities. The proposal is part of a wider review of amendments to the Unified Development Code, the city's rules for how land can be developed and used.