San Diego City Council to vote on temporary ban on large data centers

San Diego City Council is set to vote on a temporary ban proposed by Mayor Todd Gloria that would pause all pending applications for large data centers for 45 days, according to Voice of San Diego. The emergency ordinance aims to give the city time to create regulations governing data centers within city zoning areas, with the possibility of renewing the ban for up to 20 months.

The push for the moratorium gained urgency after Manchester Financial Group considered building a 400-megawatt data center on the U.S. Navy property near the Midway District, raising local concerns. However, councilmembers acknowledge that the ban would not apply to data centers on federal land, such as the NAVWAR site at 4301 Pacific Highway, which is outside the city's regulatory reach.

This limitation stems from federal policies under former President Donald Trump, who ordered the Department of Defense to identify military installation sites for data centers and signed Executive Order 14318 to expedite permitting for large data centers. The order also reduces environmental review requirements under laws like the National Environmental Policy Act, limiting local and environmental oversight.

As a result, while San Diego can regulate data centers on city land, federal properties remain largely exempt from local moratoriums, complicating the city's efforts to manage data center development within its jurisdiction.

The City Council's vote will determine whether the temporary ban is enacted, providing time to develop comprehensive zoning regulations for data centers on non-federal land.

What we're watching: How San Diego balances local zoning concerns with federal policies promoting data center construction on military properties.