Escondido bans data centers through August 2027 – San Diego Union-Tribune

Escondido bans data centers through August 2027  San Diego Union-Tribune

The nearly year-long moratorium gives staff time to assess potential impacts to guide future regulations. Escondido will not allow data center development through August 2027, the City Council unanimously decided last week. The decision extends a 45-day ban on data centers approved in August, giving staff more time to assess potential impacts before presenting any proposed regulations. The city has not yet received any applications for data center development, staff said, and under the moratorium no plans will be permitted. The city joins jurisdictions across the country taking steps to regulate the rapidly growing industry, with many considering whether data centers should be allowed in their communities. Last week, Poway became the first in the county to pass a city-wide permanent ban on third-party data centers used for artificial intelligence applications.

San Diego County recently put out a report on potential impacts from data centers, and in neighboring Imperial County, multiple cities are debating pausing data center development. Senior Planner Garrett Smith said they will look to other cities to help shape Escondido guidelines. “This effort is not going to be limited to how communities just in California are dealing with this,” Smith said. “We’re going to be looking at national and international best practices.” Their evaluation will include consulting utility stakeholders, businesses and residents, Smith said. According to a