Richmond Will Consider Extending Its Data Center Ban to Nearly Two Years at an Oct. 20 Hearing

Richmond's temporary ban on new data centers could soon stretch to almost two years. The City Council will hold a public hearing on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. to consider extending Urgency Ordinance No. 13-26 N.S. by 22 months and 15 days, according to a city notice.

The council adopted the original 45-day moratorium on Sept. 15. The city's data center page says it lasts at least until Oct. 30. The CC Pulse reported the vote was 6-0, with Councilmember Jamelia Brown abstaining, and that staff said no data center applications were pending or had been submitted in Richmond.

What the ban covers

While the moratorium is in place, the city cannot approve any permit, license or land use entitlement for a new data center anywhere in Richmond. The notice defines a data center broadly: buildings used mainly to house servers and networking gear for cloud computing, colocation, artificial intelligence training, high-performance computing or cryptocurrency mining, along with supporting generators, cooling, fuel storage, batteries and substations. Ordinary server rooms that serve another main use are excluded, and anyone already operating under a valid permit may continue.

Why an extension

Urgency moratoriums under state Government Code section 65858 start at 45 days and can be extended, up to two years in total. The city says it is using the time to study data centers and gather public input on whether to allow them and under what rules, to protect public health, safety and welfare. Before the September vote, Brown and Councilmember Cesar Zepeda raised questions about possible lawsuits, The CC Pulse reported.

Richmond is part of a wider regional trend. The CC Pulse noted Oakley and Gilroy had already passed bans, and Oakland and San Francisco have since adopted pauses of their own.

How to weigh in

The proposed ordinance and staff report are due to be posted by 5 p.m. on Oct. 15 on the city's council meetings page and available at the Planning Division, 450 Civic Center Plaza. Questions can go to the Planning Division at (510) 620-6706 or [email protected]. The notice warns that anyone who later challenges the ordinance in court may be limited to issues raised at or before the hearing.