San Diego has put a temporary stop on new data centers. The City Council voted unanimously to back a 45-day moratorium on permitting, approval and development of data centers within city limits, City News Service reported on Oct. 27. The vote ratifies an approach Mayor Todd Gloria started with an executive order five days earlier.

The pause applies citywide. But the proposal that set it off sits on land where city zoning does not apply. A developer has floated a 400-megawatt data center idea for the Navy-owned NAVWAR site, and because that property is federally owned, KPBS reported that a city moratorium is largely symbolic there. So the vote does two things. It sets interim rules for every other parcel in the city, and it puts the city's opposition on the record for the one site it cannot regulate directly.

What the Council Approved

According to City News Service, as published by KESQ, the moratorium covers permitting, approval and development of data centers inside San Diego city limits for 45 days, and it could be extended for nearly two years. City staff have 180 days to bring preliminary recommendations, and the city plans to amend its land development code next year.

Gloria set the process in motion on Oct. 22. The city's release said he signed an executive order directing the Planning Department to bring a temporary data center moratorium to the City Council. The city lists the order as Executive Order No. 2026-2. It directs city departments to bring preliminary recommendations to the mayor and council within 180 days. It also creates a temporary Data Center Stakeholder Working Group with representatives from technology, utilities, water, land use, housing and community advocacy.

"We cannot allow a rapidly expanding industry to get ahead of the rules needed to protect our residents," Gloria said in the release.

The dates in the record don't quite match. The mayor's Oct. 22 release said the council would take up the moratorium on Monday, Oct. 26. City News Service and KPBS reported the unanimous vote in stories dated Tuesday, Oct. 27.

The Elo-Rivera Amendments

Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera added several amendments that set out what the city wants from any future data center rules. City News Service reported that they call for:

  • Council notification within seven days when a data center is proposed;
  • No costs imposed on residents;
  • Project labor agreements;
  • Clean renewable energy only; and
  • A minimum distance between data centers and schools, parks and child care facilities.

KPBS reported that another Elo-Rivera amendment directs the mayor's government affairs team to lobby members of Congress. That matters because federal decisions, not city zoning, will govern what happens on Navy land.

Councilmember Raul Campillo summed up his view of the trade-off: "The costs dramatically outweigh any benefits in the current environment," he said, according to City News Service.

The NAVWAR Site and the 400-MW Idea

The NAVWAR property is a 70-acre site owned by the Navy, according to KPBS. Manchester Financial Group has floated a data center there. City News Service reported the idea at 400 MW and said a facility that size would have enough power for around 300,000 homes annually and would be the largest data center in California. Those figures come from the City News Service report.

Manchester Financial Group president and CEO Ted Eldredge described the data center as one option, not a plan. KPBS reported that he said it was one of several ideas and that nothing had been finalized. In a company statement quoted by KPBS, other uses being considered for the site include:

  • Retail and commercial space
  • Industrial uses
  • Hospitality
  • A medical center
  • A university campus
  • A defense industry campus
  • Life science facilities

KPBS reported that several council members said the fight over the site would continue.

Why a "Symbolic" Vote Still Has Practical Effects

For NAVWAR itself, the moratorium has little legal force. KPBS described it as more of a symbolic measure for that specific site because the federal government owns the land. The mayor's executive order also directs his Government Affairs team to develop or support legislation protecting communities from data center impacts, including facilities on state or federal property outside the city's land-use authority, according to the city's release.

For the rest of the city, the moratorium pauses permitting, approval and development of data centers for 45 days, according to City News Service, while city staff develop a framework for how to proceed with such facilities, if at all.

The Elo-Rivera amendments show the direction the council wants that framework to take. They name siting buffers from schools, parks and child care, a renewable-only energy requirement, labor terms and protection for residents from costs. City News Service described them as amendments intended to guide the creation of a framework; they are not adopted code.

What Happens Next

According to City News Service, city staff have 180 days to bring preliminary recommendations, and the city plans to amend the land development code next year. Gloria's executive order sets the same 180-day deadline for recommendations to the mayor and council and creates the temporary Data Center Stakeholder Working Group, according to the city's release. City News Service reported that the initial 45-day moratorium could be extended for nearly two years if the council chooses. For the NAVWAR site, KPBS reported that an Elo-Rivera amendment directs the mayor's government affairs team to lobby members of Congress.

Sources