The San Antonio City Council on Thursday approved changes to the city's Unified Development Code that require each data center to get council approval before construction can begin. The vote was 9-2. Council members Misty Spears and Mark Whyte voted no. The amendment also limits data centers to heavy industrial and commercial zones and lets the council require larger setbacks based on the surrounding area.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones proposed a minimum setback of 1,000 feet, and that proposal was not adopted. Jones had also suggested separate public hearings. Residents have said at town halls and permit hearings that they did not have a say before data centers were built near their homes. Under the approved amendment, the public can comment when each facility's representatives appear before council.
The amendment also forbids data center development over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. Rachel Hanes, policy director of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, said in public comment that requiring a Specific Use Authorization or special use permit is standard in cities including Phoenix, Tucson, Atlanta, Minneapolis, El Paso and New Braunfels. Randy Neuman of the Scenic Loop Helotes Alliance asked council to consider the combined effect of many data centers on the area's environment.