New zoning standards to regulate data centers as a part of the Unified Development Code passed on its first vote, as the Memphis City Council continues to shape a lasting solution to the controversial tech facilities.
Members convened on Thursday, Oct. 8 to hammer out details during a committee session earlier in the afternoon. The product appears to be a consolidation of a handful of ordinances and amendments already under consideration.
The add-on update to the evening consent agenda passed unanimously. It requires three votes for passage. There are currently no regulations on the books regarding data centers.
Four more discussions on the matter are scheduled for this month. Members will use the extra meeting time to resolve numerous details surrounding the impact of data centers have on the environment and livability near the facilities. The next meeting is on Monday, Oct. 19, from 1-3 p.m.
“We are talking about four weeks from now, we could potentially have ordinances that could control what we legally can control based on all of our other ordinances,” said Councilman Jeff Warren.
The meeting was more cordial than Tuesday’s gathering. During that meeting, council members struggled to maintain control after community organizers, activists and other audience members became disruptive. Many in attendance were angered after a final vote on a 12-month moratorium was pulled from the agenda.
Council chair Jana Swearengen-Washington eventually asked police to clear the chambers. Fights spilled out into the lobby. One person was detained following the melee. Some in the audience received notices from the council informing that they were barred from attending the Thursday meeting.
Meanwhile, the moratorium is slated for a third and final vote on Oct. 20.
“For people who are looking for a moratorium, what we are telling you is that we could have regulations in place in four weeks, with what we think we need to pull off,” added Warren.
Of course, the sponsor of the moratorium, JB Smiley, hasn’t given up on his proposal.
“If we are truly concerned about the water, the air, the energy burden, the traffic, property values decreasing, I think we have to slow it down. We can do the studies,” Smiley said. “There are studies that we have to do. That is within our purview.”
Moreover, the influx of data centers continues in the current regulatory vacuum. On Tuesday, a $575 million commercial permit was filed to convert the former Fred’s corporate headquarters at 4300 Getwell Road into an AI and tech data center.
There are around 15 data centers currently operating in Memphis.
