The Hayward City Council votes Tuesday, Oct. 20, on a temporary moratorium on new data centers, a pause that could start at 45 days and be stretched to as long as two years. The item, an interim urgency ordinance under California Government Code section 65858, is on the agenda for the council's 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall, 777 B Street, which is also streamed and open to comment on Zoom.

City staff are recommending the pause so they can study "the economic, environmental, public health, cost-of-living and other effects of data center development in Hayward," the city said in an Oct. 19 announcement. The study would look at the combined effect of existing and future projects on energy and water supplies, air quality, industrial noise, the city's emergency response capacity and its economic development goals.

Four data centers already, two more being pitched

Hayward has four existing or approved data centers, all near PG&E's Eastern Substation in the southwest part of the city's industrial area, according to the city:

  • SF09, a 24-megawatt facility on a 10.9-acre site on Corporate Avenue.
  • SF11, a 35-megawatt facility on 4.24 acres, also on Corporate Avenue.
  • Hayward Exchange @92, a 49-megawatt facility on 6.57 acres along Clawiter Road near Breakwater Court. East Bay Insiders reports it is leased to Amazon Web Services.
  • Stack Data Center (SVY03A), a 76.6-megawatt facility under construction on 11.3 acres on Eden Landing Road.

The city also says a developer has approached it about applications for two new data centers of 99 megawatts each, within half a mile of the existing ones near Arden Road and Corporate Avenue. A moratorium would stop the city from considering or approving new data centers while it is in effect.

How the council got here

On Aug. 12, three council members sent a referral asking staff to develop options to limit or ban future data centers, citing possible health and environmental risks, rising utility costs and overuse of natural resources, according to the staff report. East Bay Insiders identifies them as Mayor Mark Salinas and Councilmembers George Syrop and Angela Andrews. On Sept. 15, after a public meeting, the council voted unanimously to have staff prepare the findings needed for a moratorium. Depending on what the study finds, staff could come back with new rules or an outright ban.

The Stack project is required to use 100% carbon-free electricity, but the staff report says it is not known whether local utilities can supply renewable power at the scale these projects need, East Bay Insiders reports. The outlet also reports that the urgency ordinance needs six votes to pass.

Hayward would join a string of Bay Area cities that have hit pause. In the past month, Oakland, Richmond and San Francisco approved 45-day emergency moratoriums, according to East Bay Insiders. Read our coverage of Oakland's moratorium, Richmond's extension hearing and San Francisco's pause.

Also on Tuesday's agenda

The council will also introduce an ordinance updating administrative rules in Hayward's business license tax, and its consent calendar includes a $356,000 increase to a security contract with First Shield Security and Patrol for city sites and Hayward Executive Airport, bringing the total to no more than $5,181,897. The Nov. 3 meeting is canceled for Election Day, and the next regular meeting is Nov. 17.

Written comments can be sent through eComment on the city's Legistar site or by email to [email protected] by 3 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Data centers have also come up in the race for mayor; see our guide to the Hayward mayor and council races.