The Pittsburg City Council voted 4-0 at a special meeting Monday, Oct. 26, to adopt an urgency ordinance placing a 45-day moratorium on new or expanded data centers. It took effect immediately.
What is covered
According to a staff presentation reported by Contra Costa News, the moratorium covers Phases II and III of the Avaio project, any changes beyond the approved Phase 1, and any data center proposed elsewhere in the city. Exempt are Avaio Phase 1 as approved, accessory IT facilities under 5 megawatts serving another primary use, and repairs that do not expand a use.
Community and Economic Development Director Jordan Davis said the city can extend the moratorium twice, up to about two years, with a 4/5 vote. Staff will use the time to study where data centers might be allowed, standards for generators, power, cooling water and noise, and alignment with new state law by Jan. 1, 2027.
Residents want more
Phase 1, approved in November 2024, is planned for the former Delta View Golf Course site. KTVU reported that residents chanted and criticized the exemption, with one speaker calling the pause "completely useless" without Phase 1 and urging at least 90 days.
Councilmember Jelani Killings defended the city's process as transparent, citing public discussions of a technology park going back to 2018.
Pittsburg joins Hayward, San Francisco and Oakland, which have recently approved their own data center pauses.